The boss of the internet giant announced on Thursday that half of his employees could work from home permanently in 5 to 10 years. According to him, the Covid-19 will not disappear “before long”.
Mark Zuckerberg said he was “optimistic” about the beneficial potential of remote working this Thursday at an online conference.
KEYSTONE
Half of Facebook employees could work from home, permanently, within 5 to 10 years, Mark Zuckerberg announced Thursday at a public conference for employees on the platform.
The social media giant will be “the most advanced company in the world on remote working”, assured the founder and boss of Facebook, which had 45,000 employees worldwide at the end of 2019.
Pandemic-related changes
At the end of April, he announced his intention to recruit 10,000 additional people, as the social changes linked to the pandemic represent opportunities and markets to keep or conquer for the American group.
But the new employees, some of whom will be interviewed only online, will enter a world in upheaval, with no near or distant possibility of returning to normal.
“I would like to emphasize that the Covid is not going to go away for a long time,” said Mark Zuckerberg, before presenting the feedback and his plan for organizing work within his company.
95% of telework staff
Facebook, 95% of whose staff are telecommuting at the moment, had already announced recently that most of its employees would continue to work from home until the end of the year.
No gathering of more than 50 people will be organized before July 2021 at best.
According to an internal study, more than 50% of employees consider themselves more productive in teleworking, and 20 to 40% say they are interested in the possibility of working remotely permanently. But half would like to return to the office as soon as possible.
Beneficial potential
Mark Zuckerberg said he was “optimistic” about the beneficial potential of working at a distance. “We don’t do it because employees demand it, but because we are there to serve the world, and our community, and unlock as much innovation as possible.”
Among the advantages, he mentioned more equal opportunities in careers, more diverse recruitments (geographically and among minorities), savings on infrastructure and salaries (which will be adjusted according to place of residence) and a better retention of people forced to move for personal reasons. Not to mention the impact on the planet.
“In 2020 it is easier to move bytes than atoms, so I prefer that our employees teleport by video or virtual reality rather than being stuck in traffic jams to pollute the environment,” joked the CEO.
((AFP / NXP)
Posted: 05/21.2020, 10.53pm-
