A year of remote working has changed the way we think about ‘work’. We have witnessed the most significant shift in the way we work since the advent of the internet.
At the start of the pandemic, Salesforce led the way in forward-thinking working, allowing employees to work from home until the pandemic was over. And now they have gone one step further in announcing that employees can work from home forever, declaring the “9-5 workday is dead.”
After polling employees on their preferences, Salesforce has opted to bring in flexible options for good, allowing people to work from home full–time, return to the office or switch it up with a mixture of both.
With so much upheaval this past year and people yearning for ‘normality’, this bold decision marks the start of something new. Today, we look at the extent of the impact of Salesforce’s decision and how remote working is shaping the future of work for the better in Salesforce and beyond.
Remote Working is (Officially) Here to Stay
The pandemic theme has been one of change, and while there are some things we can’t wait to get back, in some ways, life has switched for the better.
As a side note: the UK has recorded zero flu cases this year, as social distancing has stopped the winter bug spread!
But what I’m referring to here is the flexibility of Salesforce roles as opposed to pre-pandemic times.
Yes, some people prefer the 9-5 (and that option will still be available for them), but for Salesforce teams in cities, and particularly London here in the UK, this new flexibility means one thing: freedom.
Salesforce’s move to introduce flexible working indefinitely was driven entirely by the people. Many will be glad to say good-bye to their commute and have the option of taking a day at home mixed with some in the office. Salesforce is giving employees the best of both worlds.
And how is this going to translate in terms of productivity? Remote work needs to ensure that levels of communication and collaboration are not negatively affected.
Slack Takeover
In the past, both employers and employees were fearful of remote working due to perceived difficulties with productivity, mainly due to lack of resources and remote working infrastructure.
Salesforce has backed-up their remote working decision with an even bolder move – acquiring workplace communication tool, Slack.
The $27.7 billion takeover is Salesforce’s biggest to date, signalling a new remote working era. Not only is Salesforce accommodating the desires of their employees, but they have also invested in a massive way to make remote work a success.
Salesforce has always been ahead of the curve when investing in innovation, and they continue to do so. Marc Benioff met with Slack CEO to discuss how merging the platforms will benefit both Salesforce clients and employees. Before this, Benioff had said that there were no mergers or acquisitions on the cards, but shortly after the meeting, he offered the record-breaking sum to take over the communication firm.
Benioff said, “It’s very cool and very different from anything I’ve ever seen … a dream that I’ve always had that we could have this type of a user interface, and now that Slack and Salesforce are coming together, we do.”
Slack has been described as “Whatsapp on steroids”, it makes it easy to collaborate with employees anywhere globally, with live chat, file sharing, RSS feeds, managing and tracking document functions. Its popularity is thought to be down to the fact that it can be added to dozens of other apps such as Skype, and even better – 90% of Slack users are also Salesforce users, so the merger makes perfect sense.
We are at the start of the remote working revolution, and Slack is one to watch to unlocking Salesforce’s potential.
The Future of Salesforce
This move to indefinite remote working doesn’t only benefit those already in Salesforce roles; it opens up unlimited opportunities for candidates who don’t live near big cities or offices.
As an employer, this has massive, exciting implications. Previously, employers would assemble their teams from the pool of people who applied, usually driven by geographical reasons. There’s a reason San Francisco is seen as a city full of tech professionals – they gather where the offices are.
Now there are potentially limitless opportunities for talented individuals across the globe and from remote places to be considered for a wider range of roles.
Brent Hyder, the chief “people officer” at Salesforce, who heads its employee policies, said, “As employers, we have an opportunity to create an even better workplace – one that allows us to be more connected to each other, find more balance between work and home, and advance equality – ultimately leading to increased innovation and better business outcomes”.
Next Steps?
What does this mean in terms of building and developing your team? It means that the possibilities are vastly increased for hiring world-class talent. Geographical location is becoming irrelevant; talent searches are going global.
If you want to grow your Salesforce team this year, we can help. Get in touch with us on 01322 272 532 or contact us here to find out how we can source the best global Salesforce talent for your team.
Thanks,
Lee
About Resource On Demand
Resource On Demand is Europe’s first specialist Salesforce Recruitment Company, now also focusing on growth Cloud markets.
We assist innovative and disruptive organisations to grow their technology teams. Supporting companies to fill Cloud roles that span across Digital Marketing, Marketing Automation, Human Capital Management and the growing Salesforce.com suite of skills.
The team at Resource On Demand have access to an extensive database of key talent, registering over 8000 Cloud professionals each year.
To find out how we can support you call us on 01322 272 532, or you can contact us by clicking here.