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Twitter Announcement Heralds 'New Normal' of Permanent Remote Work
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused a huge work-from-home surge, Twitter this week announced it will let some employees work from home "forever" if they choose.
Speaking of its early embrace of remote work after the pandemic hit, the company yesterday said: "The past few months have proven we can make that work. So if our employees are in a role and situation that enables them to work from home and they want to continue to do so forever, we will make that happen."
That's not to say Twitter won't reopen offices, as it cited its thinking for the next few months as:
- Opening offices will be our decision, when and if our employees come back, will be theirs.
- With very few exceptions, offices won't open before September. When we do decide to open offices, it also won't be a snap back to the way it was before. It will be careful, intentional, office by office and gradual.
- There will also be no business travel before September, with very few exceptions, and no in-person company events for the rest of 2020. We will assess 2021 events later this year.
This is the latest major development heralding the "new normal" of remote work.
Last month, for example, research firm Gartner surveyed enterprise CFOs, finding that 74 percent intend to shift at least 5 percent of previously on-site employees to permanent remote work.
[Click on image for larger view.] Companies Plan to Permanently Shift to More Remote Work Post COVID-19 (source: Gartner).
"This data is an example of the lasting impact the current coronavirus crisis will have on the way companies do business," said Gartner exec Alexander Bant. "CFOs, already under pressure to tightly manage costs, clearly sense an opportunity to realize the cost benefits of a remote workforce. In fact, nearly a quarter of respondents said they will move at least 20 percent of their on-site employees to permanent remote positions."
That remote work surge has significantly increased the use of cloud computing and made cloud computing giants among the rare enterprises who have increased hiring during the pandemic.
For remote workers and managers of remote workers, the expert panel of writers at Virtualization & Cloud Review have offered advice and tips including:
About the Author
David Ramel is an editor and writer at Converge 360.