This Wednesday, Uber announced on their website that in September 2021, they would be shifting towards a hybrid work model. Instead of gradually making all employees return to the office, employees will be able to work both from home and at the office during workdays.
Uber is one of the latest tech companies in announcing their plans for this year when it comes to remote work. Other tech firms such as Amazon and Google, already started calling their employees back to the office. Although some of them might enjoy remote work privileges until mid-year, they will eventually return to the office. However, Uber has different Plans.
How is Uber’s New Hybrid Work Policy?
The company recently announced that the plan is to be shifting towards a hybrid model in September 2021. Their new hybrid policy consists of allowing employees to work from home for a maximum of 2 days a week. They expect to have employees coming back to the office at least 3 days a week. That way, they can combine in-person interaction with remote work.
The company shared that according to their employee data, two-thirds of employees prefer working under a ‘’hybrid model’’. Most of them enjoy working from home because they get to focus independently. Yet working in the physical office also has its perks, mainly when it comes to encouraging teamwork and collaboration.
In Nikki Krishnamurthy, Uber’s Chief People Officer, words:
The future of work isn’t coming; it’s already here. Our employee data shows that two-thirds of employees prefer a “hybrid model,” or a mix of working from the office and from home during a typical work week. They like working from home when they have to focus independently, but they also value the physical office because of the collaboration and teamwork it encourages. The pandemic brought this into relief: while many people reported feeling more productive on certain tasks, many also said they missed the camaraderie and connections of in-person office culture.Nikki Krishnamurthy
Is Remote the New Norm?
In general, most companies have recognized the benefits of remote work. However, it’s still to be seen how the pandemic and quarantine truly changed the way people work. Few companies have shifted towards a fully remote model. Most of them are betting on a hybrid model that allows flexibility and support for employees that might feel isolated to one extent.
Companies such as Salesforce, Microsoft, Target, Ford, Citigroup have announced that, like Uber, they will be introducing a hybrid model in their return-to-work plans. Other’s have gone a bit further, like Dropbox, Coinbase, and Twitter, letting employees work from home permanently.
