By Matthew Quick

“The 9-to-5 workday is dead.”

Coronavirus has drastically changed the way business is handled since it first began over a year ago, including the way we work.

Last Tuesday, Salesforce announced that the company will no longer expect their employees to follow the 9-to-5 work schedule that has defined the modern workplace. Instead, Salesforce will be introducing a new system in which employees can choose a more flexible working schedule that determines how often they come into the Salesforce offices.

The company has offered three separate options to employees. A flex option will see employees returning to the office one to three days a week, once it is deemed safe to do so. The company states that most Salesforce employees will work via these conditions, as 80% of those surveyed still seek a physical connection to the workplace. A fully remote and a more traditional office-based option will also be offered based upon the employee’s needs.

The changes come after the company surveyed its employees at the start of the pandemic. “We learned that nearly half of our employees want to come in only a few times per month, but also that 80% of employees want to maintain a connection to a physical space,” Brent Hyder, President of Salesforce, wrote in a blog post announcing the changes.

Hyder also wrote that offering a more flexible work schedule is aimed at increasing productivity and creating greater equality in both terms of hiring and work-life balance. “In our always-on, always-connected world, it no longer makes sense to expect employees to work an eight-hour shift and do their jobs successfully,” Hyder wrote. “Whether you have a global team to manage across time zones, a project-based role that is busier or slower depending on the season, or simply have to balance personal and professional obligations throughout the day, workers need flexibility to be successful.”

Salesforce is among a growing list of tech giants allowing their employees to have more freedom over their work schedules. Last October, tech giant Microsoft announced that the company would be embracing a more flexible workplace that would allow some employees to work from home even after coronavirus restrictions are lifted. Salesforce is also looking to update its office spaces once employees return to work. Diverting from a more traditional workplace, “community hubs” will replace desks with breakout spaces meant to foster human interaction.

Salesforce employees began working from home in early 2020 and are expected to continue working from home until at least July 31, 2021, the company stated. The latest changes being made by Salesforce and fellow tech companies indicate an evolution brought on by coronavirus. Companies and employees alike have developed different expectations from one another as a majority of the global workforce works from home.

“This isn’t just the future of work, this is the next evolution of our culture. We’re combining the strength of our values, our platform and our people to reimagine the way we work for the better — whether in-person or in the cloud,” Hyder wrote.