Working from home is a negative, says Netflix

Even though the video streaming service provider has told its employees to stay at home, Netflix’s CEO clearly does not favour remote working.
By: | September 8, 2020
Topics: Digital Transformation | Employee Experience | Hybrid Working | Mobility | News | Restructuring

Currently, Netflix’s global workforce of 8,600 has been told to work from until a vaccine for the COVID-19 pandemic has been approved.

This, however, has not stopped Reed Hastings, its CEO, from voicing his displeasure with the concept of working from home (WFH). “No, I don’t see any positives (with WFH),” he told the Wall Street Journal. “Not being able to get together in person, particularly internationally, is a pure negative.”

And even when the pandemic is over, Hastings predicted that the work week will evolve into a permanent model of four days in the office, and one day from home, for most companies.

READ: Digital transformation lies at the heart of Fujitsu’s WFH strategy

Around the world, some of the biggest companies have already embraced WFH in one form or another. Japan’s Fujitsu, for instance, expects to halve its office space in Japan within the next three years, as its local 80,000-strong workforce works primarily from home.

Both Facebook and Google have told their employees that they can work remotely until at least the end of 2020, while Twitter announced that all employees can choose WFH ‘forever’ if they so wish to.