Salesforce has become the latest company to announce that the COVID-19 will lead to permanent changes for its workforce after confirming that it will be adopting a flexible work model in the future.
With many businesses enacting remote working policies over the last year and finding that technology can be used to limit the need for in-person meetings, Salesforce has decided that it will continue offering remote work even once the pandemic is brought to a close.
The company has confirmed that it expects 75% of its workforce to adopt a flexible approach to being in the office or work remotely full-time. The new model reflects the fact that 80% of Salesforce employees want to maintain some connection to a physical space, and the fact that a small number of jobs cannot be performed as effectively away from the office.
Benefits of remote working
“This work-from-anywhere model will unlock new growth opportunities that will help us drive greater equality,” Brent Hyder, president and chief people officer at Salesforce, explained.
“Our talent strategy is no longer bound by barriers like location, so we can broaden our search beyond traditional city centers and welcome untapped talent from new communities and geographies. And creating more flexible schedules removes hurdles that may make it more difficult to be in the office daily — from picking up kids to caring for sick family members.”
As Hyder mentions, Salesforce believes its new flexible working model will drive greater equality by opening up its recruitment policies to new communities and geographies. It should also enable the firm to reimagine its office spaces as community hubs with more collaboration and breakout spaces.
More remote working does pose risks, however. Salesforce and other businesses that continue to allow their staff to work from home will likely need to employ robust data loss prevention services to protect company data when it is being transferred over non-corporate networks.
Going forward though, it seems likely that more and more employees will be receiving new desks, mice, and monitors in the near future to revamp their home work setup.
