Amazon recently announced an extension to its work from home policy that allows employees to continue working remotely until January 2021. This compares to the October date that workers were previously expected to return. Amazon is not the only company allowing workers an extended stay at home period, as Microsoft currently permits working remotely until the end of the year. Then there is Samsung who is actively looking to add more employees to its work from home program.
Remote work has been commonplace for some time, although the number of people now working at home has risen dramatically, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With so many communication platforms like Slack and Skype available, it’s relatively easy to have employees operate from a home location. Furthermore, as coronavirus continues to keep employees and bosses out of the office, the time spent using these services is only set to increase.
Like Amazon, various tech companies, have made announcements on how long employees can work from home. In Spotify's case, the company confirmed to Music Business Worldwide that employees can work at home until 2021. According to Business Insider, Google plans on letting employees work from home for the remainder of the year, with a few select workers having returned to the office in June. Twitter and Facebook had previously confirmed that many, if not all, employees can work from home on a permanent basis. In contrast, Apple began allowing many employees to return to work earlier in the summer.
Working From Home Doesn’t Suit Everyone
While many people are probably going to keep working from home for the foreseeable future, that isn’t possible for everyone. As an example, Amazon's factory workers have to be in a physical work location to keep the company's operations running smoothly. In addition, some companies might prefer to limit how much they do online, considering that with everyone working from home, there's already additional pressures on the Internet and that could slow down operations for some.
Even if people have the type of job that accommodates working at home, there are still certain elements of office life that many employees will miss. While avoiding a long commute, and the ability to work from the comfort of home, are added bonuses, those things are likely to lose some of their initial appeal if remote work continues to be company policy for the rest of the year. Remote work is undoubtedly the safer option right now, and it is definitely an option that will suit some workers. However, whether it is an Amazon factory, a hospital, or an office that handles sensitive information, working from home is not an option for everyone.