Zoom has ordered its staff back to the office. Is the era of remote work coming to an end?

Major companies including Zoom, the Commonwealth Bank and Amazon all previously allowed staff to work from home, but have now asked their teams to return to offices.

Zoom became a staple of working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Source: Getty / Olivier Douliery / AFP

Key Points

• Zoom Video Communications was a pioneer of working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent lockdowns.
• Now, the company has ordered staff to return to offices at least two days per week.
• It comes after similar moves from Australia's Commonwealth Bank, Amazon, Disney, and even the White House.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom Video Communications became synonymous with remote working.

The company was a pioneer in enabling staff to work from home, and the technology was used by workers around the world throughout lockdowns.

Now, the company has ordered its staff back into physical offices.

It comes after similar moves from entertainment giant Disney, tech companies, online retailer Amazon, and even the White House in the United States.

As COVID-19 restrictions have largely ended, what does this mean for working from home?

Why has Zoom ordered staff back into the office?

Zoom has said it believes a "structured hybrid approach" is the most effective working option.

Employees who live within an 80-kilometre radius of an office are to attend in person at least two days per week.

“We believe that a structured hybrid approach – meaning employees that live near an office need to be onsite two days a week to interact with their teams – is most effective for Zoom,” a spokesperson told Business Insider.

“As a company, we are in a better position to use our own technologies, continue to innovate, and support our global customers.”

Which companies have ordered staff back to the office?

Zoom is not the first influential company to change or end its working-from-home policy as COVID-19 lockdowns become a thing of the past.

When Elon Musk took over Twitter - which is now called X - in late 2022, he scrapped the company's working-from-home policy and said staff would have to work from offices full-time, aside from exceptional circumstances.

In January, Disney CEO Bob Iger ordered staff to return to the office four days per week, citing the "tremendous value" in being physically together.

"In a creative business like ours, nothing can replace the ability to connect, observe, and create with peers that comes from being physically together, nor the opportunity to grow professionally by learning from leaders and mentors," he wrote in a memo to staff.

The video conference application Zoom became popular worldwide during COVID-19 lockdowns, enabling businesses to operate remotely. Source: AAP / Fotoarena/Sipa USA

In February, Amazon informed staff they would be required to return to offices three days per week from May onwards.

In a memo to staff, CEO Andy Jassy said it was easier to "learn, model, practice, and strengthen" when they were in the office together.

"When you’re in-person, people tend to be more engaged, observant, and attuned to what’s happening in the meetings and the cultural clues being communicated," he wrote.

"Collaborating and inventing is easier and more effective when we’re in person. The energy and riffing on one another’s ideas happen more freely."

In Australia, the Commonwealth Bank received hundreds of complaints from staff after ordering its 49,000-strong workforce back into the office for at least 50 per cent of the time.

In the US, the White House wants federal agencies to "aggressively" execute a shift to more in-person work starting in September, saying it's crucial to delivering government services.

"We are returning to in-person work because it is critical to the well-being of our teams and will enable us to deliver better results for the American people," White House chief of staff Jeff Zients said in an email on Friday.

What are your rights if you want to work from home?

When it comes to flexible working, your rights will depend on your industry and type of work.

Anyone can request to work from home, but certain categories of employees have a legal right to request a flexible working arrangement, according to Australia's Fair Work Ombudsman.

Workers who have this legal entitlement include permanent employees who have worked with the employer for at least a year, and casual employees who have worked for an employer for at least a year and have a reasonable expectation of ongoing regular work.

Reasonable grounds for requiring flexibility can include caring responsibilities, having a disability, or experiencing or supporting somebody who is experiencing domestic violence.

Employers can refuse these requests on reasonable business grounds, for example, if the requested arrangements would be too costly or impractical, if there is no capacity to change arrangements, or if it would likely result in a significant loss of efficiency or productivity.

- Additional reporting by Reuters