It is not new to say that teleworking is a reality. Even more so in this sector, where it is rare to see the IT consultant going to the office in person. In fact, remote work, or the hybrid work model, is commonplace.
The data show that this reality has become established in Big Tech companies. In this Befree blog post we will take a look at them in order to once again endorse the statement that teleworking is not just another reality, but the reality in capital letters.
Apple: a letter from its CEO
Communication with employees has changed a lot since the private meetings in offices. Apple CEO Tim Cook has gone a step further. He explains news and changes to his staff by letter. In the last one he wrote he referred to the proposed hybrid work model.
Cook’s new idea for combining remote work with in-office work is very simple. It consists of dividing the five working days of the week as follows: three days face-to-face and two from home. It also indicates that the workers who take part in this pilot model “can decide which third day to come”, since Tuesday and Thursday are mandatory attendance days.
This hybrid work model is an update of that of June last year. At that time, the multinational proposed the obligation to come to the office on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, but made it possible to telework on Wednesdays and Fridays. According to the CEO, depending on their function, employees could work remotely for up to four weeks a year.
Continuous line at Google
A similar hybrid work model is advocated and supported by Google. The Sillicon Valley company also opted for the 3+2 split a few weeks ago, and is thus following in the footsteps of its fellow technology companies. Specifically, its teleworking model will come into operation next April 2023.
Google’s head of employee benefits, John Casey, said in a statement that this hybrid work model balances the best of seeing each other in person with being able to be anywhere. “Conventional teams can intentionally meet to collaborate and connect in the office and spend other work days from a location that best suits them“.
Meta, persistent in teleworking
In the case of this company, even the top dog benefits from the telecommuting model. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, uses the hybrid model to work from Hawaii or San Francisco. In fact, his future is increasingly oriented towards these areas, where Zuckerberg acquired territories.
The case of Meta is the most extreme of all. It was the only company that maintained the ability to telecommute indefinitely after the Covid-19 health crisis. Meta spokeswoman Tracy Clayton defended the company’s decision in an interview in The Wall Street Journal, stating that “how people work is much more important than where they work from“.
Amazon: personalized attention and concern
Finally, the vision of Amazon’s hybrid work model is the most special and curious of all. After considering the options of telecommuting or on-site, Amazon’s CEO, Andy Jassy, chose neither. Thus, for the past eight months, each employee at the Seattle-based company has been able to discuss his or her case individually with the person in charge of his or her area.
“In a company of our size, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to how each team works best. We expect that some will continue to work primarily remotely, others in some combination, and still others will decide that customers are better served if the team works primarily in the office,” Jassy admitted in a note to his employees.
