No Promotion For Those Working From Home, Dell Informs Employees

New Delhi: Four years after the deadly COVID-19 pandemic broke out and shook up the world, complete normalcy has still not been restored in certain sectors.

A part of the workforce in the private sector, especially, is yet to return to their offices.

Some tech companies have been urging its employees to reduce work from home, while others are asking people to attend office more.

Dell, which followed a hybrid work culture, is encouraging its employees to get back to their offices.

The US-based tech company with a significant presence in India has informed remote workers in a memo that they can continue working from home but will not be considered for promotions.

In a departure from its previous policy, Dell is pushing a strict return-to-office (RTO) policy, according to a report in Business Insider.

In a memo circulated last month, Dell informed its employees of a return-to-office mandate and categorised them as ‘hybrid’ and ‘remote’ workers. Hybrid employees will now be required to spend at least three days per week in an approved office.

The memo further stated that remote workers won’t be considered for promotion or be allowed to change roles within the company.

“For remote team members, it is important to understand the trade-offs: Career advancement, including applying to new roles in the company, will require a team member to reclassify as hybrid onsite,” the memo said.

Not many are happy with Dell’s change in policy.

“Dell cared about the work, not the location. I would say 10% to 15% of every team was remote,” a senior employee was quoted as saying in the media report.

“Everyone at the company is talking about how much they don’t like it,” said another employee.

Some employees are worried that they won’t be able to move up the ranks or have the same flexibility as before.