Jack Dorsey Will Allow Twitter Workforce To Continue Working From Home After Coronavirus Has Passed

KEY POINTS

CEO Jack Dorsey shared the news with employees in an email also discussing plans for the rest of the year
A Twitter spokesperson said the pandemic sped up plans to build a "distributed" workforce and reduce dependence on office spaces
Dorsey said in the email Twitter was also going to reasses plans for 2021 in the wake of the pandemic

Twitter employees were told that they can continue working from home after the coronavirus pandemic has passed. CEO Jack Dorsey shared the news with employees in an email Tuesday informing them of the change.

Dorsey’s decision is not entirely surprising, as it falls in line with plans to cultivate a “distributed” workforce he had referenced during a first-quarter earnings call in February. Twitter has roughly 4,600 employees.

“I don’t fear any slowness as we work to distribute our workforce now, and I do think we have to build a company that’s not entirely dependent on San Francisco," Dorsey said during the call. “As we look forward we’re reaching a talent pool that expects a lot more remote work, … we should be building our company around that. I haven’t made any plans just yet for this year, but I do expect that I will travel.”

A spokesperson for Twitter told reporters the pandemic forced the company to speed up its plans in the last four months, but the results were positive.

“The past few months have proven we can make that work. So if our employees are in a role and situation that enables them to work from home and they want to continue to do so forever, we will make that happen” the spokesperson said. “If not, our offices will be their warm and welcoming selves, with some additional precautions, when we feel it’s safe to return.”

In the email acquired by Buzzfeed, Dorsey also told employees that Twitter’s offices would likely remain closed until September, all but a few business-related trips were canceled, and all planned events have been canceled as the company reassess its plans for 2021.

“We've been very thoughtful in how we've approached this from the time we were one of the first companies to move to a work-from-home model,” the spokesperson said. “We'll continue to be, and we'll continue to put the safety of our people and communities first.”

On-site jobs, such as server maintenance, will still require employees to go to work.