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Salesforce has become the latest San Francisco tech company to report a transition away from in-person work, saying “the 9am to 5pm workday is dead.”
The city’s largest private employer said on Tuesday it would allow many employees to work from home permanently, even after it became safe to return to the office after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Salesforce said that after surveying employees about their preferences, the majority of employees would move into a “flexible” situation in which they walk into an office just one to three days a week. Only a small portion of the workforce will continue to work from an office four or more days a week. Employees who do not live near an office are free to work remotely indefinitely.
“As employers, we have the opportunity to create an even better workplace – a workplace that allows us to be more connected to each other, to find more balance between work and home and to advance equality, which ultimately leads to increased innovation and better business outcomes, said Brent Hyder, Salesforce’s “director of human resources,” who heads its employee policies.
The move follows similar announcements from tech companies like Facebook and Microsoft and has long-term implications for the city of San Francisco, where Salesforce built a notorious transit tower and terminal from 2013, making its headquarters the tallest building in the city.
During San Francisco’s tech boom over the past decade, companies were known for their expansive employee campuses with perks like cafeterias, sophisticated on-site gyms, nap pods, and games. Those days were over, Hyder suggested.
“As we move into a new year, we need to keep moving forward with agility, creativity and a beginner’s mind – and that includes the way we cultivate our culture,” he said. “An immersive workspace is no longer just a desk in our towers; the 9 am to 5 pm working day is dead; and the employee experience goes far beyond ping-pong tables and snacks. “
Amid changes to traditional workplace models, many tech professionals have left the Bay Area, choosing to work in more affordable cities now that jobs offer more flexibility. The most common destination for tech workers leaving the Bay is Austin, Texas, followed by Seattle, New York and Chicago, according to moveBuddha, a site that compiles data on the move.
The tech talent drain could have a big impact on the Bay Area, which has been shaped by the tech boom and the money that comes with it. The transformation of the city has been accompanied by gentrification, rising rents, increasing homelessness and decreasing diversity. As more and more high income earners leave the city, San Francisco has seen rents drop dramatically.
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