17 Major Companies That Have Announced Employees Can Work Remotely Long Term Many major companies remain remote as the coronavirus pandemic wears on - and plenty of those have no immediate plans to return to the office.
This story originally appeared on Business Insider
Google extended its work-from-home policy by an entire year on July 27. Employees don't have to return to the company's San Francisco Bay Area campus until June 2021. Uber just made a similar commitment. Meanwhile, outdoor retailer REI just announced a plan to work remotely indefinitely — and sell the company's new, unused 8-acre campus. Zillow, Twitter, Square, and other companies have also announced that employees could work from home indefinitely.
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Following the coronavirus pandemic, more than half of Americans want to continue working remotely while two-thirds of companies may render their current work-from-home policies permanent. Here's a list of companies that have already announced remote work as a long-term business strategy.
REI
REI, the outdoor retailer, just announced that it is selling its brand new, unused 8-acre corporate campus in Bellevue, Washington. In the same August 12 statement, CEO Eric Artz said the company will "lean into remote working as an engrained, supported, and normalized model" for employees.
Uber
Uber told employees that they could work from home through June 2021 on August 4. Employees will also receive a $500 stipend to set up a home office.
Microsoft
Microsoft, which is based in Redmond, Washington, plans to begin reopening offices in January 2021, even though it previously planned to reopen in October.
Zillow
In April, Zillow CEO Rich Barton announced plans to work from home through the end of 2020. The company has since extended that indefinitely. On July 29, the company announced it would offer employees the ability to work from home permanently.
Google originally said employees would return to its San Francisco Bay Area base on July 6, 2020, then pushed that date to September. Now, Google is extending its employee work-from-home policy through June 2021.
Reuters
Reuters, the international news organization, told employees they can work from home until January 2021.
Twitter, based in San Francisco, told employees in May that they could work from home indefinitely. The company suspended business travel and in-person events for the rest of 2020.
Square
Square, which is also led by Twitter's Jack Dorsey, adopted a similar policy around the same time and will allow employees to work from home indefinitely, even after offices reopen.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees in late May that many would be able to work from home indefinitely, and plans to keep staff remote through 2020.
Related: 6 Tips to Make Remote Work Actually Work
Salesforce
Salesforce announced in May that it will give all employees an option to work from home through 2020, even as its 160 locations worldwide open on different timelines.
Amazon
Seattle-based Amazon will allow employees to work from home through January 8, 2021, which was recently extended from October.
Spotify
Spotify told employees worldwide that they may continue working from home until 2021. Each office will open according to government guidelines city-by-city.
Hitachi
Japanese electronic giant Hitachi also allowed employees to work from home amid the pandemic, and committed to having 70% of its employees work from home permanently.
Coinbase
Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange company based in the Bay Area, will make working from home a permanent arrangement. CEO Brian Armstrong announced in May that the company will offer office space for those who would like it following lockdown, but most roles will remain remote.
Mastercard
Mastercard does not plan to implement a formal return to the office anytime soon. In May, it said employees can remain remote until they are comfortable returning.
Nielsen
Research company Nielsen plans to convert its New York City offices into meeting spaces for employees as they continue to work from home even after the pandemic passes.
Nationwide Insurance
Nationwide Insurance announced in May that it plans to downsize from 20 physical offices to just four following the pandemic. The majority of the company's employees will continue to work from home permanently.
Related: Pros and Cons of Remote Work: Will Your Employees Adapt?
