Flexible Work Arrangements as a Risk

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Work-from-home policies are becoming a target for scrutiny among businesses as a means of cutting costs and improving operational effectiveness in the context of a slowing economy. Allan Jones, the founder, and CEO of Bambee, a company that specializes in human resources software and consulting, has come to the conclusion that the initial success of remote work cannot be sustained. He is considering requiring five in-person days per week but will continue to allow two remote days of work and will add a third during the summer if the team's output does not fall behind schedule. The trend toward working from home is being spearheaded by companies such as Meta Platforms Inc., Salesforce Inc., Rapid7 Inc., and Upwork Inc. Meta Platforms is suspending new applications to work from home, Salesforce is boosting in-person schedules to four days a week, Rapid7 is demanding three days in the office, and Upwork includes remote employees on its list of operational hazards.

Despite this, Upwork is committed to remote work due to the benefit of being able to recruit top candidates regardless of where they are located. Andra Capital, a venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley, is exerting pressure on companies it invests in by mandating that employees put in at least three full days each week at the office. Mikhail Avady, the co-founder of the artificial intelligence startup Prodia, is debating whether or not the company should aim for top-tier remote talent or people they can work with side-by-side in the Atlanta headquarters. Tate Hackert, the co-founder and president of ZayZoon, is holding team meetings at the company's locations in Alberta, Canada, and Phoenix, Arizona, more frequently these days in order to improve the effectiveness of in-person collaboration.