Facebook to fully reopen its US headquarters next month, offers employees an option to postpone

By Team Newsable | First Published Dec 9, 2021, 4:26 PM IST

According to Meta, the social media giant's new "office deferral programme" would ensure that its employees have flexibility in returning to workplaces.

Meta Platforms said that it would fully reopen its U.S. headquarters on January 31, 2019, while providing employees with the option to postpone their return by three to five months. According to Meta, the social media giant's new "office deferral programme" would ensure that its employees have flexibility in returning to workplaces. Meta, formerly known as Facebook Inc, has stated that it will keep to its previous objectives of allowing staff who can work remotely to request full-time remote employment.

Janelle Gale, vice president of human resources for the corporation, stated that they understand that some employees aren't yet ready to return. She said that they would continue to provide several alternatives for employees to select what works best to make educated decisions about where they work.

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Meta's decision comes when many businesses in the United States are delaying the reopening of their offices owing to fears about the fast spread of the Omicron coronavirus type.
Alphabet Inc's Google postponed its January return-to-work plan indefinitely last week, citing rising worries about the Omicron strain and some opposition to company-mandated vaccines. Meta stated in its statement that it was "closely watching" the circumstances surrounding the Omicron version. The corporation requires all U.S. employees who come to the office to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Also Read | Meta to shut down Facebook's facial recognition system

In other news, Facebook Inc announced the closure of its facial recognition system, which recognises users in pictures and videos automatically, citing mounting societal concerns about the use of such technology. In a blog post, Facebook's vice president of artificial intelligence, Jerome Pesenti, stated that regulators are still working on defining a clear set of regulations governing its use. He also argued that, given the constant uncertainty, it is appropriate to limit the implementation of facial recognition to a limited set of use cases.

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