Meta takes a sharp turn towards in-person collaboration, requiring employees to be in the office three days a week.
TWC – In a surprising move, Meta, the social media giant behind Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has announced a stricter return-to-office policy following a series of job cuts. After laying off 21,000 employees within seven months, Meta executives have prioritized in-person collaboration and energy within their teams.
According to an internal post viewed by The Information, Meta employees who are not fully remote will be required to work in the office three days a week starting September 5. The company believes that while coming into the office may reduce personal flexibility and increase commuting time, it is essential for fostering collaboration and building the future.
This new policy significantly departs from the more remote-friendly approach Meta initially embraced during the pandemic. Before the layoffs, CEO Mark Zuckerberg had expressed his vision of becoming the leading company in remote work at their scale, with the possibility of half the workforce permanently remote within a decade.
Meta even invested billions of dollars into virtual and augmented reality research, unveiling products like the Meta Quest Pro headset to enhance collaborative remote work. However, the company’s recent focus on efficiency and performance has led to a shift away from the remote-first culture.
The decision to enforce a more in-office presence has drawn attention, as other tech companies encourage employees to return to physical workplaces. Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters and global offices are expected to experience a significant increase in traffic due to this new policy.
Despite the shift, Meta assures employees they can still make a meaningful impact from the office and at home. A company spokesperson stated that Meta is refining its hybrid model to create an environment that supports collaboration, relationships, and positive work culture.
Notably, the new policy only affects partially remote employees, who will still have the option to work from home for the entire week. However, Meta has now paused the hiring of additional fully remote positions.
As Meta enters its “year of efficiency” in 2023, its workforce has witnessed a remarkable transformation from a remote-first approach to a more office-centric mindset. CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes in-person work is more conducive to the success of early-career engineers, further solidifying the company’s decision to require most staff to work in the office three days a week starting this September.