The global manufacturing giant 3M Co. announced they are making their fully remote-work policy a permanent feature of employment. The company wants 3M to access a broader global pool of talent, not confined by geographical boundaries.
“We realized over the pandemic that remote work was an absolutely critical part of being able to meet our hiring needs for knowledge workers. It is our comparative advantage.” Penny Wise, president and managing director of 3M Canada
For 3M, none of the conventional justifications for having employees back in the office outweigh the desire to recruit the best talent, even if that means having employees in a different country.
Meanwhile, major employers across the USA have spent the past year trying to persuade employees to return to the office. The main fear seems to be diminished productivity over time.
3M has roughly 90,000 employees worldwide and 1,800 in Canada. They had been experimenting with flexible work even before the pandemic, allowing employees in certain departments to work in a hybrid fashion.
When the pandemic hit, most of its white-collar workers began working remotely full-time, and 3M has allowed them to maintain that setup indefinitely.
70% of the company’s global workforce works mostly remotely. In Canada, employees can choose to come into the office if they want, as many times a week as they feel comfortable.
