Facebook, Salesforce will let many employees choose remote working: 'The past is gone' says Benioff

The hybrid model takes shape in Silicon Valley

Social media giant Facebook says it will let all full-time employees work remotely provided their jobs can be done out of an office.

The announcement was made by Facebook Zuckerberg in a memo to employees outlining the firm's plans for a hybrid office and remote setup.

"We've learned over the past year that good work can get done anywhere, and I'm even more optimistic that remote work at scale is possible, particularly as remote video presence and virtual reality continue to improve," Zuckerberg wrote in the memo, according to CNBC.

He added that the company will expand remote-work eligibility to all levels, including entry-level engineers and early-career employees.

The social media firm has also told its roughly 60,000 employees that it would likely reopen most of its offices in the US at 50 per cent capacity in September, and then fully in October.

After that, workers who haven't received approval from their managers to work remotely will be required to come into the office at least 50 per cent of the time.

Similarly, employees who want to work in an office will be required to come in at least half the time.

Zuckerberg also told employees that Facebook will also allow workers to request remote working across international borders.

Later this month, Facebook's US employees will be allowed to request remote work in Canada, while employees in Europe, including the UK, can request remote working.

In a separate memo, Zuckerberg also told staff that he personally planned to spend as much as half of the next year working remotely.

"I've found that working remotely has given me more space for long-term thinking and helped me spend more time with my family, which has made me happier and more productive at work," he said.

Facebook's update comes as most technology firms in Silicon Valley and other parts of the world plan to reopen offices, using a combination of remote and in-office work.

CRM provider Salesforce also expects at least 50 per cent of its workforce to continue working remotely after the pandemic ends.

In an interview with CNBC, CEO Marc Benioff said that "maybe 50 or 60 per cent [of staffers] are going to be working at home," which is up about 20 per cent compared with prior to the pandemic.

"The past is gone," he said. "We've created a whole new world, a new digital future, and you can see it playing out today."

In February, the firm had announced that it would offer its workers three working models: fully remote, flex and office-based.

Employees who opt for the 'flex' model will have to come to office between one and three days a week, mostly for customer meetings, presentations and collaborative projects.

Apple workers said that they would prefer a more flexible policy, which would allow employees to work remotely if they feel comfortable working that way.

Last month, Google also announced a hybrid working model that will see 20 per cent of staff permanently home-based.

CEO Sundar Pichai told employees that he expects about 60 per cent of staff to work in the office "a few days a week". Another 20 per cent will be able to relocate to "new company locations" while the remaining 20 per cent can apply to permanently work from home, with both groups seeing salary adjustments.

But not all tech firms are taking this line. Last week, a group of Apple employees sent an internal letter to CEO Tim Cook, expressing their reservations over the requirement that employees return to office for work in September. The employees urged Apple to allow individual management chains to make the decisions that were best for their teams.