Six months into the pandemic, many companies began wondering whether they could make work-from-home policies permanent. Staff seemed to like it, and it appeared to be a solution to long-running staff retention issues.
But actually pulling it off, though, is challenging. Not being physically close to colleagues during the working week took its toll on some employees, and may have impacted productivity, though there is a debate on that subject.
In this post, we take a look at some examples of companies that implemented wildly successful WFH policies, and how you might want to emulate them.
Coinbase
Coinbase is going through some market-related turbulence right now, but the company was one of the first to implement a successful WFH policy. Calling itself a “remote first” workplace, management allowed up to 95 percent of staff to stay out of the office.
Of course, not all of them took them up on the offer. Extraverts remained at the company HQ. But many took the opportunity to spend more time at home with the family and spend less time commuting.
Dropbox
Dropbox’s services let users store and manage their files from any device. Since the advent of the pandemic and the increasing reliance on the cloud, the tool has become even more essential.
The software platform recently announced that it would allow employees to work from home or at the company’s HQ. It is now using a hybrid office design which is designed to cater better to a smaller group of on-site staff.
HubSpot
HubSpot is also adopting a hybrid model, allowing some workers to remain at home for two or more days per week. Interestingly, since adopting a WFH policy, HubSpot has seen its productivity increase in some departments, incentivizing the company to keep WFH in place long-term.
Lyft
Given how Lyft operates, the existence of a central office isn’t actually necessary. For that reason, the company offers what it calls a “fully flexible” timetabling policy, meaning that staff have full autonomy over where they live and work. If they want to move to a new state or even country, they can, as long as they have an internet connection.
Meta
Facebook’s WFH policy has caused some controversy since it was first implemented more than two years ago. The company drew media attention when some workers protested company demands to return to the office. However, now the company says that anyone who wants to work remotely can, as long as they apply through approved channels.
Quora
Question and answer site, Quora, has also adopted a remote-first policy, similar to Coinbase. Staff are allowed, if not actively encouraged, to relocate anywhere they want in the world where they can be legally employed.
Lastly, Reddit is also experimenting with its own WFH policy. Employees have a choice: either they can work at a home office, or they can opt for a casual in-office environment. Reddit is doing everything it can to manage the situation, managing both some workers’ desire to be at home and others’ for social interaction in a more laid-back setting.
