Employees at Salesforce won’t be returning to the office for another year, the company has said, and will each get $250 for home-office equipment.
Salesforce is the latest major tech company to announce prolonged plans for working from home. The US cloud-based software company, led out of San Francisco, is extending its work-from-home option until “at least 31 July 2021”.
The company is San Francisco’s largest private employer, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, employing more than 9,000 people in the region.
Its CEO, Marc Benioff, announced in May that employees could work from home for the rest of 2020, even if offices had opened up again before then. Remote working is set to become the standard until at least the end of July 2021 at the company, however, with plans to bring its workforce back to offices on a case-by-case basis and in line with local public health mandates and government guidelines.
Earlier this year, Salesforce gave each of its employees $250 towards office tools to facilitate working from home. Staff will now receive a further $250 to invest in long-term home-office equipment.
The company released a statement that said: “We understand that moving our offices to our homes is not always easy or comfortable – especially for those with families at home or for those who are feeling isolated – and we’re working hard to address the unique needs of our employees during this time.”
Family care leave at the company will also be expanded. Employees with children, for example, will be eligible for up to six weeks of paid leave as schools begin to open back up. In June, Salesforce made back-up childcare available for staff, offering employees a reimbursement of $100 a day for five days every month. This initiative has been extended until the end of January 2021.
“In all situations where schools have been closed and students are learning remotely, parents and guardians will be allowed to work from home, even if that date extends beyond our offices re-opening,” Salesforce said.
“Our people are our biggest asset. And we will continue to invest in benefits and programmes to keep our employees and their families happy and healthy.”
