Facebook employees working from home may face pay cut if they move to lower-cost area

Facebook Inc. on June 9 said that it will let all employees work remotely even after the pandemic if their jobs can be done out of an office, however, they may reduce their pay if they move to a less-expensive area. According to Bloomberg, the social media website said that starting June 15, any Facebook employee can request to work from home. The California-based company added that if those employees move to a lower-cost region, then their salaries will be adjusted accordingly and they will be encouraged to go into the office at times to enhance team-building. 

Facebook said that it will be more flexible for employees expected to return to the office. In a statement, the company said that guidance is to be in the office at least half the time. It added that the firm also plans to open most of its US offices to at least 50 per cent capacity by early September and reopen fully in October. Further, the social media company said that until the end of 2021, employees can work as many as 20 business days from another location away from their home area. 

According to Bloomberg, Facebook had more than 60,000 workers as of March 31. Employees have been able to work remotely since offices were closed at the beginning of the pandemic last year. Previously, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also had said that he believes remote workers could make up as much as 50 per cent of the company’s workforce in the next five to 10 years. 

Zuckerberg to spend half of next year working remotely 

On Wednesday, Zuckerberg told employees as part of his commitment to remote and hybrid work, he plans to spend as much as half of the next year working remotely. He said that he has found that working remotely has given him more space for long-term thinking and helped him spend more time with his family, which has made him happier and more productive at work. Zuckerberg added that he will be in the office a lot too and will be structuring his schedule to keep a good rhythm with the leadership team, as well as for planning and other key milestones. 

It is worth mentioning that Facebook is also expanding the number of workers who are allowed to move to other countries. Later this month, any employee will be able to move from the US to Canada or from Europe, the Middle East or Africa to anywhere in the UK. By January 2022, Facebook employees will also be allowed to permanently move between seven more countries in Europe, the Middle East or Africa. 

(Image: AP)