In a significant shift from its operations and its products, video conferencing giant Zoom is requiring employees who live near a company office to be on-site two days a week, embracing a “hybrid approach” to work. Zoom fueled the remote work craze embraced by many office workers over the last few years.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Zoom, once a darling of the work-from-home era, is now calling its employees back to the office. Employees who live near a Zoom location must be on-site two days a week, a move that reflects the company’s importance of in-person work environments despite being one of the leading companies in remote work tools.
A remote worker in slippers (Marcela Vieira/Getty)
A company spokesperson stated that this approach puts Zoom in “a better position to use our own technologies, continue to innovate and support our global customers.” The decision comes as many companies, including giants like Amazon, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and BlackRock, have increased the amount of time employees must spend on-site.
As Breitbart News previously reported, Apple delayed its return to office policy when employees labeled it “racist:”
Thousands of employees have been pushing back against the company’s demands, with the employee group Apple Together publishing a letter earlier this month calling on the firm to allow for a hybrid and flexible work schedule. The open letter claimed that Tim Cook’s push for in-person working is an attempt to make the company “younger, whiter, and male-dominated.”
Zoom’s CEO Eric Yuan expressed his belief in the staying power of the hybrid work approach during a May earnings call, saying, “I think the hybrid work is going to stay. I think hybrid work does bring another kind of huge opportunity to us.”
Zoom’s video-conferencing software was a breakout hit of the pandemic, enabling entire industries to communicate virtually. However, the company has struggled to maintain its growth in a post-pandemic world. Its share price, which quintupled from March to October 2020, has since retreated to pre-pandemic levels.
In an effort to resuscitate growth, Zoom is developing a wider suite of software tools for big businesses, including in-office collaboration products. The company has also invested in startup Anthropic to include artificial intelligence in its software for managing and automating customer service requests.
Read more at the Los Angeles Times here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan