With the epidemic almost back to normal, many companies have begun to resume their normal working mode and asked their employees to return to the office. Even companies that previously allowed employees to work remotely have begun to allow employees to work remotely under certain conditions.Fortune MagazineDuring the interview, Dropbox CEO Drew Houston called on corporate employers not to treat employees as controllable assets.
Drew Houston said that Dropbox's current working principle is to work remotely 90% of the time within a year, and allow employees to choose to work remotely for the other 10% of the time. This working model has been implemented since 2021.
Although Dropbox has previously experienced layoffs to maintain operations, it has not yet required employees to return to the office to work, and has made remote work the default working mode for employees.
While many companies have been requiring employees to return to the office or even restricting remote work options since the pandemic eased, Dropbox is a notable exception, remaining committed to remote work. Drew Houston believes that employees shouldn't be viewed as assets to be controlled, but rather should be trusted.
Drew Houston believes that employees actually have more options, especially given that many companies are still willing to offer remote work options. This means that employees are no longer restricted to a single company. At the same time, if a relationship of distrust exists between employers and employees, requiring employees to work under various surveillance methods will likely only lead to further employee resentment.
According to Dropbox, since the full implementation of the remote work model in 20201, its employee retention rate has remained at the highest level. At the same time, 70% of new employees applied for positions because of Dropbox's remote work policy.
However, from a practical perspective, there are still many jobs that are difficult to perform remotely. For example, jobs that require labor, actual services, or research and development that require specific environments and equipment are difficult to perform remotely. On the other hand, while many people are happy to accept remote work, many are more accustomed to working in an office environment. Therefore, not everyone is suitable for remote work.
