SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook announced it plans to reopen its Menlo Park, California headquarters with 10% occupancy on May 10 if the COVID-19 situation begins to improve.
Major tech companies including Facebook were among the fastest to shift to work from home during last year’s lockdowns and have regularly extended the freedom for their employees.
The social media company said its offices in Fremont and Sunnyvale are also scheduled to reopen at 10% capacity on May 17 and May 24 respectively, while its San Francisco office would reopen on June 7.
Facebook’s Bay Area office, which includes its Menlo Park, California, headquarters, will open at 10 percent capacity in May as long as health data continues to improve, the company said.
The company initially told employees they could work from home until July 2, but now they’ll be able to continue working remotely until one month after their office reaches 50 percent capacity. The company expects its largest offices won’t reach 50% capacity until early September.
Facebook spokesperson Tracy Clayton said in a statement that the company is taking a “measured approach” to reopening offices. Physical distancing and mask-wearing are required at all times in offices and, at some sites, weekly testing will be required.
Last May, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he predicts that 50 percent of the company’s employees could be working remotely over the next decade.
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The company has allowed some employees to work remotely full time and relocate, but those employees may have their compensation adjusted based on their new locations, Zuckerberg said.
Facebook’s decision comes after Microsoft announced this week that it will begin to bring back employees to its Redmond, Washington, headquarters beginning March 29.
Microsoft employees can choose between returning to work full time, working remotely or a hybrid model. Twitter and Square are among other companies that have informed employees they can continue to work remotely on a permanent basis.
Ride-sharing firm Uber Technologies said on it plans to reopen its offices at Mission Bay, San Francisco, with 20% occupancy on March 29, and provide an option for its staff to return to work on a “voluntary basis”.
