How Google, Microsoft and others plan to work post-pandemic

The new normal of how we’ll work after the pandemic will be all about flexibility.

But companies are taking different approaches to how their workforces will operate. Some are committing to an all-remote workforce, while others are taking a hybrid approach in which employees spend part of their time in the office and the rest working remotely.

Here’s a look at what post-pandemic workforces will look like at some major companies:

Google

Google employees won’t return to the office until September, and they might not be there Monday through Friday.

The tech giant will test a flexible workweek pilot that would have employees come into the office at least three days a week for “collaboration days.”

The company is also making changes in its office spaces to include reservable collaboration spaces and outdoor spaces for team meetings.

Reddit

The San Francisco-based company announced in October it will allow most of its employees to work wherever they want, whether in the office, remotely or a little of both.

The company also said that if employees decide to move, their pay won’t be reduced.

Microsoft

In October, Microsoft said it views working from home less than half of the time as “standard” for most roles, along with schedule flexibility.

“Moving forward, it is our goal to offer as much flexibility as possible to support individual workstyles, while balancing business needs and ensuring we live our culture,” the blog post said.

Twitter

Some Twitter employees who want to make working from home permanent will be able to do so, the company said earlier this year.

Dropbox

In October, Dropbox said it was becoming “virtual first.”

That means its nearly 3,000 employees will work remotely most of the time and will go to the office for more collaborative and team building work.

The company is also revamping its offices to facilitate this shift, including removing individual desks.

Coinbase

The cryptocurrency exchange also announced it will embrace being remote first.

Co-founder and CEO Brian Armstrong told employees in May that this means most employees who prefer to work remotely can. And workers who still want to work in an office will also be able to.

“For many employees, it will probably be a mix of both. But for all of us, being remote-first requires a mindset and behavioral shift. It means that the employee experience should be the same, whether you’re in an office one day a week, five days a week, or never,” he wrote.

Unilever

Unilever is testing out a four-day work week at full pay for its workers in New Zealand.

The trial runs from December 2020 to December 2021.

Thecompany said it will explore what this trial could mean for broader changes to its workforce.

REI

The outdoor retailer said earlier this year it will “lean into remote working” and later sold its newly-constructed 400,000-square-foot campus in Bellevue, Washington.

Instead of having one large headquarters, the company plans to have multiple satellite locations across the region to give workers more flexibility when it comes to where they can live and work.

Nationwide

The insurance company announced in April plans to permanently move to a hybrid operating model, with employees working primarily from the office in four main corporate campuses and at home in most other locations.