Early on 12th May 2020, Jack Dorsey, CEO of social media company Twitter, sent an email to his employees, telling them that they can choose to prolong the period of working from home to however long as they deem fit. The CEO mentioned that Twitter had adopted a work-from-home model early on, but that push was fastened by the mandated stay-at-home orders due to coronavirus.
The San Francisco-based company mentioned that it was one of the first ones to shift to telework in March 2020 because of the pandemic. It further said it will continue that policy indefinitely as part of a move towards a "distributed workforce.
Twitter approved and confirmed the news in an email to TechCrunch, a reporter of technology news, saying:
We were uniquely positioned to respond quickly and allow folks to work from home given our emphasis on decentralization and supporting a distributed workforce capable of working from anywhere. 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. If not, our offices will be their warm and welcoming selves, with some additional precautions, when we feel its safe to return.
On similar lines, the organization is preparing strategies to continue working arrangements and meetings in-person for those who like that arrangement better. While San Franciscos Mayor London Breed declared on April 27, 2020, that the city will be extending its lockdown orders till the end of May 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom has indicated the easing of some restrictions already.
Twitter is apparently and understandably taking a wary approach towards returning to work, a luxury afforded to the company by the flexibility of working from home, even after the indication of the easement.
Chief HR Officer Jennifer Christie explains Twitters strategy in the following manner:
Opening offices will be our decision, when and if our employees come back, will be theirs.
With very few exceptions, offices wont open before September. When we do decide to open offices, it also wont 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 the 2021 events later this year.
Obviously, things are subject to change, though Twitter seems much more likely to push it back, if anything, based on the language. Other major tech firms, including Facebook and Google, have extended their work from home policies through the end of the year. Twitters approach is particularly accommodating for a company of its size. What that means for the future of Twitters San Francisco HQ and other offices, however, remains to be seen.
