Twitter tells employees they can now work from home 'forever'

Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter has informed his employees that they can now work from home “forever” amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

The 43-year-old CEO informed staff on Tuesday saying all in-person events would be cancelled as the company announced plans to adopt a permanent work-from-home structure amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

Employees would receive a $1,000 allowance to equip themselves with the tools necessary to work-from-home, Mr. Dorsey said, adding that the office was unlikely to open before September.

In a statement, Twitter said it was “one of the first companies to go to a WFH model in the face of COVID-19, but [doesn’t] anticipate being one of the first to return to offices.”

The company said if employees are in a role and situation that enables them to work from home and they want to continue doing so “forever,” then “we will make that happen.”

“If not, our offices will be their warm and welcoming selves, with some additional precautions, when we feel it’s safe to return,” the statement reads.

The company said with very few exceptions, offices won’t open before September.

It added when they do open it will be “careful, intentional, office by office and gradual.” It said there will also be no business travel before September “with very few exceptions” and no in-person company events for the rest of 2020.

“We’re proud of the early action we took to protect the health of our employees and our communities. That will remain our top priority as we work through the unknowns of the coming months,” it said.

Jennifer Christie, the head of human resources at Twitter, also told BuzzFeed News the company would “never probably be the same” as it began allowing employees to work-from-home during the initial months of the outbreak.

“People who were reticent to work remotely will find that they really thrive that way,” she said at the time. “Managers who didn’t think they could manage teams that were remote will have a different perspective.”

She added: “I do think we won’t go back.”