Facebook expanding remote and hiring remote workforce director

remote work director facebook

Facebook has become the latest company to advertise for a remote work director. The person who fills this position will help coordinate the organization’s growing virtual workforce, and it is a job title that is expected to be adopted by an increasing number of similar companies over the coming months and years.

This virtual focus is particularly evident for Facebook, which is allowing all of its employees to work remotely through the summer of 2021 and plans to have 50% of its workforce be filled by virtual workers on a permanent basis by 2030.

The social networking service has stated that its director of remote work will be someone who knows how to create and evolve a remote workforce strategy and who will bring “strategy development” experience to the role. Being able to operate effectively and adapt to a constantly changing environment is desired too, understandably so as the world as a whole has been doing just that for some time now.

With this move, Facebook is following in the footsteps of GitLab. That tech company had already hired a head of remote, Darren Murph, prior to the pandemic’s start, in 2019. As a result of his being a pioneer of sorts, Murph has been providing advice to companies that are hoping to experience similar successes. In fact, Brynn Harrington, Facebook’s vice president of people growth, has said that Murph has been a “good advisor” who has helped her organization determine what changes it needs to make.

However, Harrington has also stressed that those still working for Facebook in brick-and-mortar settings should not be forgotten. With so many moving to remote working environments, that results in changes to the dynamics of the in-office work settings as well, and that aspect of the company will need to be regularly assessed too. She also added that her organization must ensure that these groups of workers blend together in a productive manner.

Of course, the current work climate is significantly different than the norm. For example, Facebook’s U.S.-based workforce in its entirety has been engaging in remote work since March.

A few months later, Facebook even declared that it would provide $1,000 to each employee to help them set up a virtual office.

However, FB and other tech companies have also stated that employees who work from home permanently in a locale with a lower cost of living will receive a pay cut as a result of that move.