Even Zoom embraces office return, recalling employees from work-from-home setup

Zoom is requiring employees to work in the office two days a week to better utilize its technologies and support customers.

Zoom Video Communications Inc., a one-time darling of the work-from-home era, is calling workers back to the office.

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Employees who live near a Zoom location must be on-site two days a week, a company spokesperson said. A “hybrid approach” is most effective for Zoom, she said, because it will be in “a better position to use our own technologies, continue to innovate and support our global customers.”

The company’s eponymous video-conferencing software was a breakout hit of the pandemic as entire industries were forced to communicate virtually. Since then, companies as varied as Amazon.com Inc., Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. and BlackRock Inc. have increased the amount of time employees must spend on site.

Still, many offices remain lightly used, and there are signs that some roles may remain remote. Offices in the Northeast were only at peak capacity 24% of the time in the first half of the year, according to data from Basking.io, a workplace-occupancy analytics company. Listings for remote jobs have also trended up in many cities.

Insider earlier reported Zoom’s new office policy.

While many chief executives want employees back five days a week, “I think the hybrid work is going to stay,” Chief Executive Officer Eric Yuan said during a May earnings call. “I think hybrid work does bring another kind of huge opportunity to us.”