End of an Era? Zoom Orders Employees Back to the Office

The Covid-19 pandemic led many workplaces to switch their employees over to a remote-only model. As the need to maintain social distancing becomes a fading memory, the trend seems to be receding. 

Even Zoom, the video communications company that exploded in popularity in the early days of the pandemic, has ordered many of its employees (those within 50 miles of an office) to work in person for 40% of their work week. 

The company is far from the only one to gradually begin to enforce in-person work requirements. Major corporations such as Disney, Amazon, Dell, Walmart, GM, UPS and Starbucks have all started to phase out fully remote positions, often in favor of either “hybrid” roles or relying more heavily on outsourced or AI-based positions. 

Of greater significance is what Zoom’s new policy represents, namely an end to the idea that most tech-based and white-collar jobs could be done from the comfort of the homes of their employees. Zoom became something of a poster child for the remote work phenomenon, where many professionals found themselves sheltering in place and juggling the roles of parents and employees in the wake of a pandemic that was unprecedented in the 21st century.

While remote workers often point to the convenience and environmental benefits of not needing to commute each weekday, many office managers and employers prefer a closer eye on their workforce and point to the increase in intra-office communication when conducted in person. 

Other issues such as HR and office property become significantly more convoluted when dealing with remote workers: If an injury happens in an office, the liability generally falls upon the employer. The same goes for employer-provided devices and interpersonal conflict between employees. What happens, then, when an altercation happens between two remote work employees outside of standard work hours, but when both are working? If a remote employee’s child spills coffee onto an employee’s keyboard, who pays for the replacement? 

It’s unlikely to think that Zoom’s recent move spells the death knell for remote work in general, and many offices have come to a compromise with a balanced combination of the two modes of work. But as far as the idea of tech workers exclusively living in rural idylls while working for urban-based businesses, that may have proven to be a premature assumption, made by many during one of the most unpredictable moments of our lifetimes.
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