Uber Extends Remote Work Policy Until September 2021

Uber Extends Remote Work Policy Until September 2021

Uber is extending its remote work policy through at least Sept. 13, according to a report by TechCrunch.

In an email sent to employees on Feb. 18, Uber Chief People Officer Nikki Krishnamurthy said the company made the decision after taking “into account the latest scientific data and experts’ views” on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Krishnamurthy also pointed to countries being at various stages of recovery and the start of a new school year in the fall as reasons the company will let employees work from home until September.

However, she acknowledged that some “CommOps, IT or other roles require physical presence in an office” and reiterated that the company “won’t force” employees with medical concerns to work in the office.

Uber is additionally urging workers to get vaccinated as soon as possible. According to the email, the company will allow employees to take time off to receive a vaccine.

Woman working from home

This is the second work-from-home extension the ride-sharing giant has issued to its employees since the pandemic began. In August, the company told its staff they would be working remotely until at least June 2021.

As for what type of work policy Uber will have after the pandemic ends, Krishnamurthy said that a hybrid model is likely, but the company is still exploring its options.

“We’re taking a number of aspects into consideration, such as how being physically together benefits or reduces productivity, collaboration and engagement,” she said. “We’ll update you on where things stand in a few weeks, and along the way as we progress.”

Other tech companies have already accepted that remote work will be a permanent part of the post-pandemic world.

Google has extended its work-from-home policy until Sept. 1, and the company announced that employees will have the option of working remotely two days per week once the office reopens.

Meanwhile, Microsoft said it will allow employees the flexibility to work part-time from home once the pandemic ends, and Facebook has announced a detailed plan that will permanently shift half of its 50,000 employees to remote work by 2030.

Some tech companies have completely shifted to “work from anywhere” models.

In February, both Spotify and Salesforce announced that employees can now choose whether they want to work at home or at the office. The companies join Twitter, Slack and Square, who all made the leap to permanent remote work models in 2020.