Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has taken a firm stance on its return-to-office (RTO) policy, announcing that employees must adhere to the mandate or they will be fired. Lori Goler, Meta’s Head of Human Resources, outlined the updated RTO guidance in an email on Workplace, the company’s internal platform.
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The new policy dictates that employees assigned to an office must work from that office or engage in in-person work for at least three days per week. However, employees already approved for fully remote work are exempt from this requirement.
In an effort to ensure accountability, Meta’s management will monitor compliance with this policy on a monthly basis. Managers will review badge and Status Tool information to track adherence. Repeated failure to comply would lead to disciplinary action, including performance rating reductions and, ultimately, termination, in accordance with local laws and works council requirements. Starting September 5, the “in-person Time Policy” will take effect, which means people have less than 3 weeks.
“As with other company policies, repeated violations may result in disciplinary action, up to and including a performance rating drop and, ultimately, termination if not addressed. We believe that distributed work will continue to be important in the future, particularly as our technology improves,” a spokesperson for Meta told Business Insider.
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Meta acknowledges the importance of distributed work in the future, particularly as technology advances. In the short term, their focus on in-person work aims to enhance the experience for employees choosing to work from the office while carefully considering investments in remote work opportunities.
“In the near-term, our in-person focus is designed to support a strong, valuable experience for our people who have chosen to work from the office, and we’re being thoughtful and intentional about where we invest in remote work,” he added.
The company initially introduced its RTO plans in June, stating that employees hired to work in an office should return for a few days a week. This announcement aligns with CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s public and internal advocacy for the benefits of in-office work, emphasizing that engineers earlier in their careers tend to perform better when working in person with teammates at least three days a week, although specific details of this analysis were not disclosed.
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It’s important to note that we’ve encountered similar news before. Companies such as Twitter have also issued several warnings to employees following Elon Musk‘s takeover. Once he said everyone is required to be present in the office for a minimum of 40 hours per week, equating to 8 hours over 5 working days. The billionaire further stated that those who prefer not to return to office are free to submit their resignations.
