Facebook postpones return to the office until March

Facebook is postponing the process of employees’ return to offices in the U.S. until the end of March. It also requires proof of a booster shot of a vaccine.

On Monday, Facebook parent Meta Platforms declared it is delaying workers’ return to offices in the U.S. until March 28. The company added that it would require a booster dose to protect against the fast-spreading omicron variant.

Meta also said the postponement of the return-to-office date gives workers more flexibility. It would be comfortable regarding their work arrangements in the middle of the pandemic.

Overview of Facebook’s plan

The social media giant headquartered is in Menlo Park, California, previously planned to reopen offices for vaccinated employees at the end of January fully.

Meta’s vice president of human resources, Janelle Gale, said in a statement that their main focus is to make sure their employees feel comfortable. He also said that the company continues to give choices to people about where they want to work, given the current pandemic. He added that the current uncertainty makes it difficult to decide where to work. Therefore, they give more time to choose what works best for them.

If workers prefer to work remotely after March, they will need to ask for a deferral from the company. The company added that the deferrals would last between four to five months. The omicron strain has already forced some of Meta’s neighbors in Silicon Valley to reconsider their return-to-work plans. However, Meta is one of the first big companies to inform its workers that proof of a booster dose would be required to work in the office. In December, Apple told employees that the company did not have a specific date to go back to the office. In December, Google parent Alphabet changed its return date indefinitely. The company said that it would continue until assuring a stable and long-term working environment.