Zoom – the video calling company that became huge during the coronavirus pandemic when people were forced to work from home – has sent its staff back to the office.
The company’s name became synonymous with households during the pandemic, with families across the UK using it for quiz nights and catching up with relatives.
But now the tech company has told staff that those who live within 50 miles of an office must work in person at least TWICE a week.
Zoom’s new policy would put it in a “better position to leverage our proprietary technologies, continue to innovate and support our global customers,” the company said. BBC.
The company has a workforce of between 5,000 and 10,000, according to its LinkedIn page, with about 200 working in its new UK office in London.
A spokesperson for the company said: “We believe a structured hybrid approach – meaning a set number of days employees who live near an office must be on site – is most effective for Zoom.
“As a company, we are better able to use our own technologies, continue to innovate and support our global customers.
“We will continue to use the full Zoom platform to keep our employees and distributed teams connected and working efficiently.”
Zoom only recently opened its new London office at The Place in High Holburn. Employees who live within 50 miles of the office will be required to work in person twice a week
Zoom has been the go-to platform for businesses and families across the country during the pandemic. But now even the tech company that saw its revenue soar during Covid has changed its flexible work policies
The California-based company’s 14 offices are located around the world, from San Jose in California and Denver in Colorado to London, Amsterdam and Karlsruhe in Europe.
Offices are also located in India, China, Japan, Singapore and Australia.
Zoom has been the most important platform for households during the pandemic, as families used it to stay in touch with loved ones they weren’t allowed to see.
The company’s turnover almost doubled after Prime Minister Boris Johnson first put England on lockdown to contain the spread of the virus.
Zoom Video Communications Inc raised its full-year revenue forecast to between $1.78 billion and $1.80 billion at that time in June 2020.
This was between $905 million and $915 million, which was predicted before the global pandemic hit.
Still, the company’s fortunes seem to have taken a hit when CEO Eric Yuan announced in February that he would lay off 1,300 employees and cut his own $1.1 million salary by 98 percent.
Mr. Yuan posted the notice to employees on Zoom Blog, letting them know that those affected by the layoffs have received an email.
He said his own salary would be cut to $22,000 this year, and other executives’ salaries will also be cut by 20 percent, with all of them waiving their annual bonus for 2023.
Mr Yuan said the layoffs affected every department in the company and laid-off workers will receive up to 16 weeks of salary and health insurance.
In his message to employees posted 30 minutes before the emails were sent, Yuan wrote: “We have made the difficult but necessary decision to downsize our team by approximately 15 percent and say goodbye to approximately 1,300 hard-working, talented colleagues.’
“I know this is a difficult message to hear, and certainly not one I’ve ever wanted to convey.”
Zoom isn’t the only company to tell employees to return to the office after a culture change during the coronavirus crisis.
In January, Disney CEO Bob Iger sent a memo to employees telling them that the media giant had overhauled its flexible work policies with a four-day return to the office starting in March. CNBC.
“As you’ve often heard me say, creativity is the heart and soul of who we are and what we do at Disney,” he wrote.
“And in a creative company like ours, nothing can replace the ability to connect, observe and create with colleagues by being physically together, nor the opportunity to grow professionally by learning from leaders and mentors.”
Other companies have followed suit, including Starbucks, Twitter, and Amazon.