Dell (DELL) has officially hopped on a growing trend in corporate America that employees may not be too fond of.
The tech giant sent a memo to its global sales team members on Sept. 26 informing them that their days of working remotely will come to an end within the next few days, according to a new report from Business Insider.
Related: Dell workers ignore return-to-office mandate
“This Sales floor is a unique environment that combined high energy with a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement,” reads the memo. “To harness this energy and grow skills, we believe our sales teams need to be together in the office. Additionally, our data shows that sales teams are more productive when onsite.”
Dell claims that sales employees will be expected to return to the office five days a week, starting on Sept. 30, “regardless of role.” However, the company states in the memo that remote sales team members who are unable to work in a Dell office location should continue to work remotely, but “more communications pertaining to remote workers will be sent in the coming weeks.”
The move from Dell comes after it rolled out a return-to-office policy in February that mandated most of its employees to work from the office three days a week and work a minimum of 39 days each quarter. Dell even began tracking workers via their badge swipes and VPN connections to monitor how often they were working from its office locations.
A worker assembles laptop computers at the Dell stand at the 2013 CeBIT technology trade fair the day before the fair opens to visitors on March 4, 2013 in Hanover, Germany.
In the new memo, Dell does acknowledge that working in the office five days a week is “a shift from current expectations,” but the change is vital due to “the industry and technology” advancing at a fast pace.
“Our strength lies in a culture of collaborating, winning and celebrating together,” reads the memo. “As we enter a new AI world, in-person human interaction will be more important than ever.”
Dell’s new policy appears to be part of a growing trend
Dell appears to be following in the footsteps of Amazon, which recently informed employees that starting on Jan. 5, 2025, they will need to be working in the office five days a week, putting an end to its hybrid work policy. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy claimed in a memo last week, which announced the change, that “teams tend to be better connected to one another” working in person.
Related: Dell will begin tracking its employees to enforce a harsh new policy
Dell has previously faced pushback from employees over its February return-to-office mandate. In June, a report from Insider alleged that about half of Dell’s employees have opted to ignore the company’s RTO policy and continue to work remotely full-time.
Employees even claimed that many of Dell’s office locations are mainly empty, highlighting that there is no point in them showing up to the office.
You can read the full memo that Dell sent to employees on Sept. 26 below.
Hi Team,
This sales force has a culture of winning and a reputation of outpacing the competition. We are the best in the business! That doesn’t come without dedicated focus, perseverance and grit. To uphold this legacy, we must continuously work at it. To grow faster than the market and take share, we must always be sharpening our edge.
This Sales floor is a unique environment that combined high energy with a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. To harness this energy and grow skills, we believe our sales teams need to be together in the office. Additionally, our data shows that sales teams are more productive when onsite.
With that in mind, starting Monday, Sept. 30, the expectation is that ALL Global Sales team members who can work from a Dell office be onsite five days a week, regardless of role. Field sellers are expected to spend five days a week with customers and partners or in a Dell Technologies office. Field sellers who can’t go into a Dell office should prioritize time spent in person with customers and partners. Remote sales team members who can’t go into a Dell office should continue to work remotely. More communications pertaining to remote workers will be sent in the coming weeks.
Yes, this is a shift from current expectations. The industry and technology are moving fast, the opportunity is enormous and we need to ensure we are best positioned to seize it. We know situations will arise when you need to work remotely. This is expected, but working remotely should be the exception rather than routine. We also know many of you have organized your lives around three days in the office and you may need some time to make new arrangements.
Global Facilities will continue to assess neighborhood capacity and will address any future needs.
When we’re not traveling to meet with customers and partners, we are in the office. When you step onto the Sales floor with all team members onsite, the energy is amazing — it’s dynamic and fast-paced. Sales managers are actively engaged on the floor, not from a distance, providing real-time feedback, guidance and support.
Our strength lies in a culture of collaborating, winning and celebrating together. As we enter a new AI world, in-person human interaction will be more important than ever.
Let’s go win, outpace the competition, seize every opportunity and take share!
Bill and John.
Bill Scannell
President, Global Sales & Customer Operations
John Byrne
President, Sales, Global Regions, Dell Tech Select
Implementation will be subject to local laws, regulations and practices, including works council and employee representative consultation where applicable.
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