The Facebook parent will also require proof of a Covid booster shot for all employees returning for in-person work.
Tech giant Meta Platforms (FB) – Get Meta Platforms Inc. Class A Report, formerly known as Facebook, is the latest company in corporate America to delay its return to the office due to increased risk from the fast spreading omicron variant of coronavirus.
The move signals that America’s triumphant return to the office after two years of living in a pandemic may not turn out as planned earlier.
The Menlo Park, Calif., company has pushed its reopening date for all U.S. offices to March 28 from January 31, the tech giant said on Monday, according to a Reuters report.
The metaverse company will also need all workers returning to office to present proof of their booster jabs.
“We’re focused on making sure our employees continue to have choices about where they work given the current Covid-19 landscape,” Janelle Gale, Meta’s vice president of human resources, told CNBC in a statement.
Meta said that staff will have until March 14 to decide whether to return to the office, request to work remotely full time or request to work from home temporarily for three and five months.
“We understand that the continued uncertainty makes this a difficult time to make decisions about where to work, so we’re giving more time to choose what works best for them.”
iPhone giant Apple (AAPL) – Get Apple Inc. Report told employees last month that it did not have a new return date set for staff to be back in the office amid the omicron surge. Apple had previously planned for most employees to return to in-person work on Feb. 1.
Last week, banking giant Citigroup (C) – Get Citigroup Inc. Report told its staff that unvaccinated employees have until Jan. 14 to begin the vaccination procedure before they will be put on unpaid leave.
The last day on the job will be the end of the month after that, Bloomberg reported after seeing an internal message to staff.
