The pandemic has made many companies begin to question the design and even their need of physical workspaces in the post-pandemic future, as many continue to function smoothly even with staff working remotely.
Now, social media giant Facebook announced that it would be creating new company hubs in Dallas, Denver and Atlanta as part of a move to decentralize is workforce, Tech Crunch reports.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg added that he expects about half of Facebook employees to work remotely full time over the next decade.
“When you limit hiring to people who live in a small number of big cities, or are willing to move there, that cuts out a lot of people who live in different communities, have different backgrounds, have different perspectives,” Zuckerberg said in a live-streamed town hall.
There’s no word yet on how many jobs or what types of roles it would fill here, but Facebook will likely be looking to bring on local talent. The company said it is planning to hire in areas where it currently has existing offices like Austin.
Facebook operates a data center near Fort Worth with about 40 employees.
As Facebook begins reopening, Zuckerberg said that not all staff will be able to work remotely. Positions like hardware development, recruiting and data center operation will still work in-person due to the need for them to be on-site.
Across the country, other companies are looking at decentralized and remote work options. Recently, Twitter announced permanent work from home options. And locally, Addison-based digital experience and mobile experience studio Bottle Rocket announced it would permanently allow its employees to “work from wherever,” a move that CEO Calvin Carter said he sees many companies moving toward in the future. Carter also seconded Zuckerberg’s sentiments about Bottle Rocket’s move allowing it to hire diverse talent.
“The sense of place becoming less and less important,” Carter told NTX Inno. “Let’s focus on human behavior and human desires and what humans need to be satisfied, engaged and productive.”
