Half of Facebook employees could work from home, permanently, within 5 to 10 years, Mark Zuckerberg announced Thursday at a public conference for its employees broadcast on the platform. The social media giant will be “the most advanced company in the world on remote work”, assured the founder and boss of Facebook, which had 45,000 employees worldwide at the end of 2019.
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.
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“I would like to emphasize that the Covid is not going to disappear for a long time,” said Mark Zuckerberg, before presenting the feedback and his plan for the organization of work within his company.
Half of employees favor telework
Facebook, 95% of whose staff are teleworking at the moment, had recently announced 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.
Several advantages exposed
Mark Zuckerberg said he was “optimistic” about the beneficial potential of remote working. “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.”
Also read: Facebook intends to take advantage of the coronavirus crisis
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 for 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 trapped in traffic jams to pollute the environment,” joked the CEO.
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