Yesterday, CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey sent an email to Twitter staff, notifying employees that they will able to continue working from home as long as they see fit. Dorsey notes in the same email that Twitter was an early adopter of a work-from-home model, however – much like the rest of the world – that has only been accelerated by COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.
Twitter confirmed this decision in an email to Tech Crunch:
“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 it’s safe to return.”
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Beyond that, the company is also outlining its plans to resume in-person working arrangements and meetings for those who prefer that arrangement. While San Francisco’s Mayor London Breed announced on 27 April that the city would extend its stay at home orders through the end of May, the state’s Governor Gavin Newsom has already signalled the easing of some restrictions.
Even so, Twitter appears to be taking an understandably cautious approach towards returning to work – a luxury afforded to the company by the flexibility of remote work. According to Twitter’s Chief HR Officer Jennifer Christie, Twitter’s back-to-work plan includes:
- Opening offices will be the company’s decision, when and if the employees come back, will be theirs.
- With very few exceptions, offices won’t open before September. When the company does 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. Twitter will assess 2021 events later this year.
Things are, obviously, still subject to change, though Twitter seems much more likely to push it back if anything, based on language. Tech Crunch reports that other major tech firms, including Facebook and Google, have extended their work from home policies through the end of the year.
Twitter’s approach is particularly accommodating for a company of its size. What that means for the future of Twitter’s San Francisco HQ and other offices, however, remains to be seen.
Edited by Luis Monzon
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