Dive Brief:

• Indeed has informed its employees that they may continue to work from home until July 2021, according to a statement shared with HR Dive July 16.
• The company’s "return to work task force" may implement partial openings this year, Indeed SVP of global human resources Paul Wolfe said in the statement. But no employee will be required to return until July 2021.
• "The pandemic is still impacting many countries around the world and many states in the U.S.," Wolfe said. "And as such, we have made the decision that no employee will be required to return to any of our global offices before July of 2021. In doing so, we aim to make it easier for our employees to plan for their life needs, such as the upcoming school year and leases."

Dive Insight:

Indeed was one of the earliest U.S. companies to go fully remote, making an announcement March 3 telling all of its employees to work from home, citing "an abundance of caution," according to the Austin Business Journal. The company has more than 10,000 global employees who will be working remotely for well over a year, with Indeed focused on maintaining productivity and engagement while also offering additional support, according to Wolfe.

Other tech employers have made similar decisions. Amazon, Facebook and Google announced that all or most corporate employees will work from home for the remainder of this year. 

Some major banks are also planning to maintain current arrangements, as leaders have indicated that some form of remote work is likely to continue into 2021. "My long-term hope for start of the year globally is to have about 50% of employees in the office — not every day of the week, but about 50% of employee hours worked will be in the offices," Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman told CNBC.

Remote work continues to gain acceptance amid the pandemic, but also appears likely to continue after offices reopen. A recent Gartner survey of organizational leaders found that 80% plan to permit remote work at least part of the time, with 47% saying they would allow it full-time.

While businesses seem to be adjusting to a new normal, many business leaders and employees still are eager to return to the office soon: "Our firm has always had a team-oriented apprenticeship culture, and we benefit from being and working together," Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said on a conference call, according to CNBC.

Additionally, research from Emtrain has found a decline in certain employee sentiments that are indicative of a strong culture.