Salesforce has become the latest technology company in San Francisco to mark a transition from personal work, declaring the “9- to 5-workday dead”.
The city’s largest private employer announced Tuesday that it will permanently allow many employees to work from home, even after it is safe to return to offices after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Salesforce said most workers, after polling employees about their preferences, move on to a “flexible” situation in which they only get into an office one to three days a week. Only a small portion of the workers will continue to work from an office four or more days a week. Employees who do not live near an office can work remotely indefinitely.
“As employers, we have the opportunity to create a better workplace – one that enables us to be more connected, to find more work-life balance and to promote equality – which ultimately leads to increased innovation and better business results, “said Brent Hyder, chief sales officer at Salesforce, which is in charge of employee policy.
The move follows similar announcements from tech companies, including Facebook and Microsoft, and has long-term implications for the city of San Francisco, where Salesforce has built a notorious tower and transit terminal since 2013, building its headquarters in the highest make city.
During the technological boom in San Francisco over the past decade, companies were known for their vast work campuses with fringe benefits such as cafeterias, flashy gyms, naps, and games. Those days were over, Hyder suggested.
“As we enter a new year, we need to continue with mobility, creativity and a beginner’s mindset – and that includes how we cultivate our culture,” he said. “An immersive workspace is no longer limited to a desk in our towers; the 9 to 5 business day is dead; and the work experience is about more than table tennis tables and snacks. ”
Amid the changes to the traditional workplace models, many technology professionals have left the Bay Area and preferred to work from more affordable cities now that work offers more flexibility. The most common destination for tech workers leaving the Bay Area is Austin, Texas, followed by Seattle, New York and Chicago, according to moveBuddha, a website that collects data on the move.
The exodus of technological talent can have a huge impact on the Bay, which is shaped by the technological boom and the money that goes with it. The transformation of the city has led to gentrification, rising rental costs, increase in homelessness and decrease in diversity. As more high-income people leave the city, rents in San Francisco have dropped significantly.