GM workers will return to the office at least 3 days a week
GM employees who have been working remotely due to the pandemic will be required to return to the office at least three days a week, starting later this year, the automaker confirmed Friday.
An internal memo to employees, first obtained by Automotive News and confirmed by GM on Friday, attributed the shift in GM̵[ads1]7;s Work Appropriately policy to progress against the pandemic, saying “the COVID-19 situation has improved dramatically.”
“As the Covid landscape has improved dramatically, and as we accelerate our transformation and move into a rapid launch cycle, we are evolving Work Appropriately to drive the best collaboration, enterprise mindset and impact. Effective later this year, employees who have transitioned to working remotely. or throughout the pandemic will shift to a more regular in-person work cycle and will now be expected to work three days on campus each week,” GM spokeswoman Maria Raynal said in an emailed statement Friday . “We are committed to maintaining the flexibility to ensure our staff can attend to personal commitments and we will share details with them over the coming weeks.”
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According to an article in Crain’s Detroit business, GM’s message to employees was attributed to the “senior management team,” listing CEO Mary Barra, President Mark Reuss and 12 other top executives. The message, which also cited the desire to encourage more cooperation going forward, did not say specifically when the new policy would take effect.
On April 20, 2021, GM unveiled a new philosophy that signaled a culture shift for the 113-year-old automaker called Work Appropriately.
Work fit gave many white-collar workers the flexibility to work where they could best do their jobs. GM saw it as a hiring and retention tool because GM has more access to talent by not requiring all employees to move to Michigan or make daily commutes.
GM’s new back-to-office plan couldn’t come soon enough for the Renaissance Center. The site of GM’s headquarters effectively became a ghost town as COVID-19 sent office workers packing to work from home. Among them: about 5,000 GM employees.
GM has not been able to provide any figures on how many employees show up to RenCen offices daily, because working properly means that number fluctuates daily.
Without them it was quite quiet. Back in June, there were questions about what was going to happen to RenCen because of how empty it became, plus GM owns part of the building.
Since the pandemic, RenCen lost Deloitte LLP as a tenant, and Blue Cross Blue Shield moved about 50 of its 2,000 workers to a smaller office in Detroit.
Free Press staff writer Jamie Lareau contributed.
Free press staff writer JC Reindl contributed.
