Salesforce Extends WFH, Childcare Benefits

Salesforce told all its employees this week that they can keep working from home through next summer if they’d like, regardless of progress in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The extension of the remote work option through at least July 31, 2021, and new funds dedicated to supporting employees’ child-care needs, helps the cloud software giant’s nearly 50,000 workers, spread out in 160 offices around the world subject to various local government mandates, make long-term plans as they re-structure their lives amid the global health crisis.

“We understand that moving our offices to our homes is not always easy or comfortable — especially for those with families at home or for those who are feeling isolated — and we’re working hard to address the unique needs of our employees during this time,” Salesforce President and Chief People Officer Brent Hyder announced in a company blog.

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To assist in maintaining those home offices, Salesforce will again offer $250 to employees for purchasing office tools and equipment, as it did earlier in the crisis.

And looking to address the challenges of working parents struggling with the start of a school year turned on its head by the pandemic, Salesforce has also expanded its family care leave, giving parents eligibility for another six weeks of paid time off.

In June, the company offered childcare support funding through the summer, allowing its employees to be reimbursed up to $100 a day for five days each month. That program has now been extended through the end of January.

“In all situations where schools have been closed and students are learning remotely, parents and guardians will be allowed to work from home, even if that date extends beyond our offices re-opening,” Hyder said.

Last month, Google implemented a similar work-from-home extension, telling most of its employees they could choose to remain away from their offices through the summer of 2021, even if wide-scale reopenings had happened by then.