As companies across the Bay Area look to implement a variety of policies designed to bring employees back in the office, methods are becoming increasingly creative, spanning from incentives to threats.
Salesforce recently announced a unique incentive: donations made to charities on behalf of staff that show up to in-person work. The newest enticement designates $10 to local charities for each day an employee comes into their assigned office between June 12 and 23, reports Fortune. Salesforce will also make a charitable donation for each remote employee who attends in-person company events during this time span.
While Salesforce leadership had previously been critical of strict return-to-office mandates, changing economic conditions have swayed this position. Over the past few months, the company has faced mass layoffs and furloughed 1 million square feet of office space at its San Francisco headquarters.
Meanwhile, other companies are utilizing less of a carrot and more of a stick: ultimatums.
Google, who has required a hybrid work schedule for over a year, recently told workers that failure to follow their office mandates may be reflected in their performance reviews. Leadership cited employee bonding as the reason for the aggressive push. However, an anonymous employee suggested this latest attempt may instead lead more workers to quit or get fired, reports the Washington Post.
Despite corporations’ valiant efforts to repopulate offices, recent reports show Silicon Valley’s office vacancy rate continuing to climb to historic highs.