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Salesforce, San Francisco’s top individual employer and the namesake of its tallest building, says it’s asking its sales reps to give them at least a week’s work as economic concerns mount and companies look to boost productivity. We are under pressure to return to the office for 3 days.
Citing an internal memo, Bloomberg reported that sales staff who live close to the company will be asked to work in the office Tuesday through Thursday and conduct at least half of the eight mandatory weekly customer meetings in person.
On Wednesday’s earnings call, CEO Marc Benioff said in-person work will be subject to a “rebalancing” and more people will be in the office, but the number of remote workers will continue to decline at Salesforce employees. more than about 20% of members. who worked from home before the pandemic.
“I think even Salesforce has what I call factory jobs. [are] Whether you’re doing a very core job, someone new who doesn’t yet have tribal knowledge, someone in need of mentorship, or someone coming in from college who benefits from being in the office. , I need to be here,” said Benioff. “But we will never go back to what we were. We all know that.”
Benioff was once a major proponent of working in person, but the pandemic has changed his tune. Salesforce announced his work-from-anywhere model in February 2021 and updated its policy last November to offer more agencies to his managers on the team.
“We have a hybrid work environment that enables leaders and teams to work together with purpose. We can decide when and where to collaborate, innovate and drive customer success,” says A Salesforce spokesperson said in a statement.
“Together we foster more learning, better collaboration, better networking and better possibilities,” said Brian Milham, Salesforce president and chief operating officer, on a conference call. said.
“I really like people coming back to the office. I love that connection we have with each other. […] I recently asked my team to spend more time in the office,” says Millham.
Also on Wednesday, Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor blindsided shareholders by saying he would be stepping down from the position on January 31. Taylor has been in the position since November 2021 and joined in 2016 when his startup, Quip, was acquired by Salesforce. Former co-CEO Keith Block said he retired in 2020.
Salesforce isn’t the only big technology company asking employees to return to the office.
Snap recently ordered employees to be in the office 80% of the time by the end of February. Apple sent out a notice in August asking employees to be in the office at least three days a week.
In San Francisco, the number of people working in offices is slowly increasing. The office was about 42% full last week, according to Kastle Systems data.
Whether economic turmoil and mass layoffs in the tech sector will bring more workers back to offices remains to be seen.
Last month, Salesforce carried out its own layoffs, cutting hundreds of positions in the sales department. The company faces challenges including slowing revenue growth, increasing competition from Microsoft and pressure from activist investors. Salesforce stock is down more than 40% year-to-date.
The company continues to shrink its real estate footprint by subleasing space or choosing not to renew leases.
One major exception is Trailblazer Ranch, a 75-acre property near Santa Cruz. The grounds include an outdoor amphitheater, fitness center, and conference room, and are leased by the company to help employees connect with each other.
About 10,000 Salesforce employees will use the ranch for training and collaboration sessions this year, Benioff said.
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