For Many, Remote Work Is Becoming Permanent in Wake of Coronavirus

Companies across the economy are considering a permanent shift to remote work in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak, following the lead of tech-sector giants.

Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday announced plans to reconfigure operations over the next decade to enable up to half of its 45,000 employees to work from home. The move follows an announcement last week by Twitter Inc. to allow employees to work from home indefinitely. E-commerce company Shopify Inc. also said Thursday that it plans to let most employees work remotely in the future.

Some companies outside tech are following suit in the move to permanent remote work. Before the coronavirus hit, marketing and advertising mogul Martin Sorrell thought that the leased office spaces and WeWork footprint at his London-based media company S4 Capital PLC were necessary. But he reassessed that about a month into the wide-ranging lockdowns that have thrust everyday business online. "We are breaking our leases and thinking about having people spend more time at home," he said.

--Angus Loten

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 21, 2020 18:58 ET (22:58 GMT)

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