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Zoom calls employees back to the office

By Nithya Bose in US business news, posted August 8, 2023

Zoom wants its 7,400 employees to return to the office, a sudden move from a company that has become synonymous with remote work during the pandemic era.

The new mandate, set to start in August and September, requires staff living within 50 miles of an office to work in person part-time.

A company spokesperson said: “We believe that a structured hybrid approach — meaning employees that live near an office need to be on site two days a week to interact with their teams — is most effective for Zoom.

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

CEO Eric Yuan faced employee concerns during a tense Zoom meeting over the return-to-office policy.

Employees voiced frustrations about commuting costs and time.

While Zoom's pandemic growth was remarkable, with daily meeting participants soaring from 10 million in 2019 to over 300 million in 2020, sustaining this surge proved challenging.

In February, the company cut around 1,300 jobs amid a broader wave of tech industry layoffs.

The pandemic catapulted Zoom into the spotlight as the ultimate video conferencing solution.

Though the hybrid work trend remains strong, Zoom's shift shows a broader industry trend towards in-person work.

Other tech companies like Google and Salesforce are also making similar moves.

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Move could be influenced by office costs

Nick Bloom, a Stanford economist, said Zoom's decision could be influenced by the ongoing costs of maintaining office space in expensive areas like the Bay Area.

He said: “They’re paying for their office and hiring local people so they get no upside from being fully remote.

“The most surprising thing to me was they took so long to formally announce this.”

While in-person work has benefits like increased feedback and networking opportunities, a Gallup study finds that over 90 percent of remote-capable workers desire flexible work arrangements.

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