Dell's Struggle to Get Employees Back to Office Amidst Pandemic

TapTechNews June 21st news, as the world gradually emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, many technology companies that initially advocated for remote work have begun to make efforts to call their employees back to physical offices. Dell is one of these companies, but many employees are still not responding favorably.

According to a new report released by BusinessInsider on Wednesday local time, Dell's internal tracking data shows that nearly 50 percent of the employees still choose to work remotely, which makes Dell's plan to restore the 'office culture' more difficult to implement.

BusinessInsider interviewed more than ten Dell employees and found that the reasons why they choose remote work are diverse.

'After working remotely, I enjoy more free time and less financial pressure, and no one can convince themselves to give these up.'

'Since the pandemic happened, the local office has been closed.'

'I'm not interested in promotion.'

'If the work team is already distributed in multiple offices around the world, it seems pointless to go to the on-site office anymore.'

'I have talked to colleagues who choose hybrid work, and they work in mostly empty offices, and most of the people we video chat with are also in empty offices.'

According to TapTechNews' previous report, in February this year, Dell introduced a strict return-to-office policy and took punitive measures against employees who wished to work from home.

According to the new policy, starting from May, almost all employees will be classified as 'hybrid work' or'remote work' workers. Internal documents show that 'hybrid work' employees need to go to the company-designated office at least 39 days per quarter, which is equivalent to about three days per week.

If an employee wants to continue working from home, a completely remote work option is available. But this choice also has disadvantages: completely remote work employees will not be considered for promotion and cannot change positions.

The memo reads: 'For remote work team members, it is important to understand the trade-offs: career development, including applying for new positions within the company, requires team members to reclassify as hybrid work on-site.'