Why this tech giant will have a flexible return to office policy for workers

Brian Sozzi
·Executive Editor
·2 min read
4

Incoming Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon says he is for a flexible return to office policy for the tech giant's more than 41,000 strong global workforce.

"The reality is not the same in all locations, we are a global company. And things are improving significantly in the United States and San Diego where our headquarters is. And we have a phased approach to bring employees back to the workplace, we are now doing phase one. We expect there is going to be some flexibility," Amon said on Yahoo Finance Live.

Amon joined Qualcomm as an engineer in 1995 and rose the ranks to become president before being announced as the company's next CEO in early January. He officially takes over the top job on June 30.

Amon will be tasked with not only unleashing 5G opportunities and diversifying the company away from mobile phones, but also executing on the return to office plan post COVID-19 for workers around the world.

"The way we are approaching those things is there is a lot of good things about being connected with the company that we learned over the pandemic. I think we are going to keep what is good. And we are going to go back to also what's good being in the workplace. Of course it is not the same situation everywhere — India still in a tough situation there," Amon explained.

Qualcomm company office in Silicon Valley. Qualcomm Incorporated is an American multinational semiconductor and telecommunications equipment company - San Jose, CA, USA - 2020
Qualcomm company office in Silicon Valley. Qualcomm Incorporated is an American multinational semiconductor and telecommunications equipment company - San Jose, CA, USA - 2020

Qualcomm's views on the return to office life somewhat jibes with key customer Apple.

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently sent a letter to employees saying they would have to return to the office on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning this fall. Most employees will have the option to work remotely twice a week.

Cook stressed that video calls cannot "replicate" the creativity that often pops up in an office setting.

The stance of both companies differs a bit from social media giants Twitter and Facebook. Both tech companies have said employees could work from home forever.

Flexible work options beyond the pandemic appears to be what most workers want.

More than 50% of employees in a new McKinsey survey said they would like their organizations to adopt more flexible hybrid virtual-working models. "A hybrid model can help organizations make the most of talent wherever it resides, lower costs, and strengthen organizational performance," the survey's authors wrote.

Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large and anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn.

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