Marking a significant shift from its pandemic-induced remote working policies, Dell has now doubled back on its decision to support hybrid working by asking many of its employees to return to the office for three days per week.
The new guidelines specifically target the company’s hybrid workers and require 39 days of office attendance in any given quarter, according to a report by The Register.
It is believed that certain workers earning below an undisclosed threshold may choose to remain remote at the expense of career advancement, which could include promotions and pay rises.
Dell doubles down on remote working
The report cites an unnamed source who believes that the introduction of new office-based working rules is an excuse to “[thin] the herd,” calling out the policy’s unfairness on those who live far away from Dell’s offices.
The move comes in the wake of similar policy adjustments by many of Dell’s competitors, including Amazon, Google, and Apple, which have all revised their guidelines on working from home since the pandemic.
This time last year, Dell announced that 6,650 workers, or around 5% of its headcount, would be losing their jobs amid tough economic conditions. Many companies, including Google, have already started laying off workers in early 2024, however Dell has not announced such plans.
The company told TechRadar Pro in an email: "We shared with team members our updated hybrid work policy. Team members in hybrid roles will be onsite at a Dell Technologies office at least 39 days per quarter (on average 3 days a week). In today’s global technology revolution, we believe in-person connections paired with a flexible approach are critical to drive innovation and value differentiation."
More broadly, the claimed benefits of working in an office, such as increased productivity and efficiency, are not turning out as company execs had hoped.
A recent University of Pittsburgh study found that company profits and share prices had not seen any considerable increases since introducing return-to-office mandates. Put together with the worker dissatisfaction brought on by reduced remote privileges, and companies could actually be hindering any development.
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