Zoom reverses remote work policy, orders staff back to office

Zoom, the company that made remote work possible for many people during the pandemic, is now asking its employees to return to the office.

The company announced the new policy in a statement on Monday, saying it believes a “structured hybrid approach” is most effective.

“We believe that a structured hybrid approach — meaning employees that live near an office need to be onsite two days a week to interact with their teams — is most effective for Zoom,” the statement reads.

“As a company, we are in a better position to use our own technologies, continue to innovate, and support our global customers.

“We’ll continue to leverage the entire Zoom platform to keep our employees and dispersed teams connected and working efficiently.”

Zoom’s decision is a significant departure from its previous policy, which allowed employees to work remotely full-time.

The new policy will go into effect in September for employees who live within 50 miles of a Zoom office.

It remains to be seen how the policy will impact the company’s culture and its ability to attract and retain top talent.

Nonetheless, the decision is a sign of the times, as many companies are starting to re-evaluate their remote work policies.

In March, Amazon’s top human resources representative rejected an internal petition signed by roughly 30,000 employees over the company’s return-to-office policy.

Apple is also tracking employee attendance and has threatened action against staff who do not work from the office at least three days a week.

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, was also reported to have emailed X staff (formerly Twitter) in March to remind them about the company’s remote-working policy.