As the world watches and waits to see the long-term effects of the pandemic on economies, industries, and businesses, one thing is certain: there will be a permanent shift toward expanding remote and hybrid work models. Every day, heavy hitters in a wide cross-section of industries are announcing their intention to implement new flexible work policies. Check out these 25 high-profile examples of companies going remote below.
Airlines
1. British Airways
Remote Work Model: Hybrid
UK airline, British Airways said in a statement to the BBC on March 19, 2021, “Our aim is to find a hybrid working model that suits our business, blending the best of office and remote working for our people.”
Eligible Jobs: British Airways indicated that it does not intend to force anyone back into the office who has adapted well to remote work.
Energy
2. BP – British Petroleum
Remote Work Model: Hybrid
In a March 2021 BBC article, it was reported that oil and gas giant, British Petroleum is going hybrid. The company announced in February “Town Hall” meetings that they are introducing a new hybrid work model where 25,000 BP office staff worldwide will work from home 40% of the time, or two days a week for full-time employees.
Types of Jobs Available: All office-based positions are eligible.
Engineering
3. Siemens
Remote Work Model: Hybrid
Siemens, a global industrial electrical engineering and electronics corporation, came out early in the pandemic to make a permanent change to its work model. Since July 2020, the company has allowed 140,000 employees worldwide to work where they feel most productive. This includes working from home or a coworking space for two to three days per week.
Types of Jobs Available: Employees worldwide are eligible where “reasonable and feasible.”
Financial Services
4. Capital One Financial Corporation
Remote Work Model: Remote First
Capital One, one of the nation’s top 10 largest banks, announced that 90% of their call center associates will work from home permanently compared to 20% pre-pandemic. CEO, Richard Fairbank commented, “We have shown that we can skillfully and effectively operate Capital One in a predominantly remote environment,” as reported in Bloomberg October 2020.
Eligible Jobs: Call center associates are mentioned specifically.
5. Deutsche Bank
Remote Work Model: Hybrid
This German multinational bank announced they are allowing 80% of their workforce to work from home up to 2 days per week. In an effort to cut costs, the company is also examining its real estate holdings for savings.
Eligible Jobs: None specified.
6. Lincoln Financial Group
Remote Work Model: The company is still working on developing a remote work model for use company-wide.
According to an article in Philadelphia Business Journal in January 2021, the life insurance and retirement investment company is selling 210,000 square feet of office space in Concord, NH that will lead to hundreds of employees working from home on a permanent basis.
Eligible Jobs: The article indicated that individual employees would be evaluated for remote work depending on the level of interaction their job requires and how well the employee is working remotely currently.
Insurance
7. Nationwide
Remote Work Model: Remote First/Hybrid
Some companies going remote had plans already in the works, like Nationwide. Just a few months into the pandemic, Nationwide CEO, Kirt Walker, announced they were taking the next step to allow most employees to work from home permanently by reducing the number of physical offices from 20 to four.
Eligible Jobs: All jobs are eligible for full-time remote work. If employees want to go into an office, the CEO says there will be hot desks in a central office where they collaborate with colleagues one or two days a week.
8. State Farm
Remote Work Model: Hybrid
Other companies going remote in the insurance industry are following Nationwide’s model. In April 2021 State Farm announced that beginning in July about 40,000 employees will be hybrid permanently with the remaining either fully remote or in-office.
Eligible Jobs: All jobs are eligible except those deemed “essential” to office operations, although this may vary by business area.
Government
9. State of Massachusetts
Remote Work Model: Hybrid
It’s not just companies making the permanent transition to a hybrid work model. In March of 2021, the Massachusetts Government announced that about half of the state’s 44,000 employees would be working remotely part-time.
Eligible Jobs: This may vary by agency with state officials working with unions to develop effective policies and redesign workspaces.
Information Technology
10. Dropbox
Remote Work Model: Remote First
In October 2020, Dropbox announced a comprehensive and innovative remote work model emphasizing a holistic approach. To facilitate collaboration as necessary, the company is converting their office spaces into “Dropbox Studios.” In addition, they are implementing a concept called “non-linear workdays” to allow employees to set their own schedules.
Eligible Jobs: All jobs are remote.
11. Microsoft
Remote Work Model: Hybrid
Despite internal surveys showing a reduction in employee engagement and while recalling workers back into the office, Microsoft announced a commitment to developing a hybrid remote work model. While decisions are still being made regarding policies and procedures, the company says that a majority of the 150,000+ employees in 190 countries could spend up to 50% of the time working from home.
Eligible Jobs: Policies are still being developed to allow for differences in geography and a dialogue with managers.
12. Salesforce
Remote Work Model: “Work from Anywhere”
In February 2021, this cloud software company with over 49,000 employees announced new guidelines they are calling “Work from Anywhere.” The guidelines offer workers three different work options flex, fully remote, and office-based. Flex is a hybrid option that includes one to three days a week in the office for team collaboration and customer meetings.
Eligible Jobs: Almost all jobs are eligible except a small number of operational positions that need to be office-based.
Internet/Social Media
13. Facebook
Remote Work Model: Partial
While Facebook plans to recall employees into the office in July 2021, the company is also acknowledging that the remote work model is here to stay. To that end, Facebook expects that up to 50% of their employees will work remotely eventually and is hiring a Director of Remote Work to manage the experience of those employees.
Eligible Jobs: The company is still in the process of creating remote work policies.
14. Twitter
Remote Work Model: Remote First
Just two months into working from home, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced employees could work from home permanently. The company was developing a distributed work model but the timeline was moved ahead due to the pandemic.
Eligible Jobs: The company is still developing policy details but indicates some jobs will still be office-based.
Manufacturing
15. Ford
Remote Work Model: Partial/Hybrid
While approximately 100,000 of Ford’s global workforce, primarily involved in manufacturing, are back working in company facilities, another 86,000 of Ford’s workers are still working at home due to the pandemic. In response to demand, the company announced in March 2021 that while these workers will be recalled to the office this summer, they will be returning with a new hybrid work schedule.
Eligible Jobs: Non-place dependent positions worldwide.
16. Hitachi
Remote Work Model: Partial/Hybrid
The Japanese technology manufacturing conglomerate announced in October 2020 that it was introducing remote work policies. Surprising many in such a demanding work culture, the plan allows for employees to choose where to work based on the nature of the task they are completing. The company will offer three options, work from home, base offices, and satellite offices to develop “job-based workstyles.”
Eligible Jobs: Eventually, job “workstyles” will be based on individual job descriptions.
17. RPG Enterprises
Remote Work Model: Remote First/Hybrid
In August 2020, the Times of India reported that Indian conglomerate, RPG Enterprises, is breaking workplace norms to introduce a new remote work policy. The new policy offers fully remote or hybrid schedules for all non-manufacturing employees worldwide.
Eligible Jobs: All salespeople work remotely while other employees, including office-based staff and staff not involved in working on machines, can work remotely between 50% and 75% of the time.
Pharmaceutical
18. Novartis
Remote Work Model: Hybrid
In July, the global pharmaceutical company announced a shift to a “flexible” work model, meaning that employees are empowered to adjust their schedules to best meet the demands of their work and personal lives. At the same time, Novartis rolled out several physical and mental health initiatives to support their employees during COVID.
Eligible Jobs: The new policy is based on both employee preferences and the nature of their work.
Professional Services
19. Deloitte
Remote Work Model: Partial
The largest professional services firm in the world told ABC News in October 2020 that they are considering shutting down four U.K. offices while keeping all staff employed on a work from home basis. “COVID-19 has fast-tracked our future of work program, leading us to review our real estate portfolio and how we use our offices across the U.K., including London,” said Stephen Griggs, Deloitte U.K.’s managing partner.
Eligible Jobs: Currently, only employees working out of the Gatwick, Liverpool, Nottingham and Southampton offices in the U.K. are being affected.
Recruitment/Job Search
20. Indeed
Remote Work Model: Partial/Hybrid
The jobs platform, Indeed, rolled out a new hybrid work model for its 10,000 global employees in October 2020. In a statement to Silicon Republic, the company indicated that management reviewed every role to assign as completely remote, full-time office, or hybrid. The company expects that the majority of employees will qualify for fully remote or hybrid.
Eligible Jobs: Positions are individually classified by management, however most positions are expected to be eligible for remote or hybrid.
21. Upwork
Remote Work Model: Remote First
In May 2020, Hayden Brown, new CEO of the online freelance jobs marketplace, tweeted the company was now remote first. “Building on our 20 years of experience as a remote work company, we are now permanently embracing a “remote-first” model.”
Jobs Eligible: All positions.
Retail
22. Target
Remote Work Model: Partial/Hybrid
While brick & mortar retail companies going remote would seem unlikely, Target is evolving a new work model for its 8,500 employees working at the discount retail chain’s headquarters. In a statement to Minnesota’s StarTribune, the company said, “As we look beyond 2021, our longer-term headquarters environment will include a hybrid model of remote and on-site work to allow for flexibility and collaboration.”
Eligible Jobs: Office-based and non-location dependent jobs at their Minneapolis HQ.
Real Estate
23. Zillow
Remote Work Model: Optional
In a surprising turnaround, the online real estate marketplace announced in July 2020 that 90% of employees would be offered flexible work options. Chief People Officer, Dan Spaulding indicated the new policy would allow employees, “the ability to work where they are most productive, whether that is in the office, their home, or a combination of both.”
Eligible Jobs: 90% of all company positions are eligible.
Telecom
24. Verizon
Remote Work Model: Partial/Hybrid
Although not completely new to the remote work model starting the pandemic with 4,000 remote call center employees, the company is looking to rapidly expand their flexible work model. Executive Vice President Christy Pambianchi in an interview with Fierce Telecom indicated that some roles will be remote on a permanent basis. Many others will return in some kind of hybrid capacity.
Eligible Jobs: Currently, most remote positions with Verizon are in sales or customer service.
Trucking
25. U.S. Xpress
Remote Job Model: Partial
The trucking giant was skeptical of success when it sent 1,400 corporate employees home due to COVID. However, during an interview with the Chattanooga Times Free Press in August 2020, CEO Eric Fuller said, “I have learned that you can work from home, so we are in the process now of trying to figure out our work strategy post-COVID. We may have 40, 50, or even 60 percent of our workforce staying home.”
Eligible Jobs: Corporate Positions
As this list demonstrates, there is virtually no industry that is not being affected by companies going remote. There are notable exceptions to the rule however with companies like Google, Amazon, and JP Morgan standing firm with discouraging remote work in any form. Only time will tell whether they can continue to hold out or will end up changing their tune due to workforce pressures.
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