Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has weighed in on return-to-office mandates, proclaiming they “are never going to work.”
Companies large and small are struggling to adapt to the workplace changes brought by the pandemic. Some have embraced remote and hybrid work, while others are insisting employees return to the office (RTO). Benioff has made no secret of his belief that remote and hybrid workflows are here to stay, and he reiterated that at a company event Thursday, according to AOL.
“Office mandates are never going to work,” Benioff said.
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Although many companies are working hard to return to the pre-pandemic status quo, the evidence has so far supported Benioff’s assertion. The more companies have demanded employees return to the office the more those employees have pushed back.
Even high-profile companies like Apple and Google have not been immune, with both companies receiving significant pushback from their employees. In fact, Apple even lost its top AI executive over its RTO policies. Google has similarly had to push back RTO deadlines in response to employee demands.
In contrast, Salesforce has focused on its “Success from Anywhere” approach, giving employees “the flexibility to work how, when, and where works best for them.” The company’s acquisition of Slack has dovetailed perfectly with its efforts, helping round out its suite of tools and services to enable remote and hybrid workflows.