Dell’s 5-day work from office mandate for sales team leaves employees speculating on what next … – Times of India

Dell Technologies‘ recent five-day return-to-office mandate for its global sales team may be just the beginning of a broader shift within the company, as reported by Business Insider. Employees are speculating that this policy could soon extend to other departments, potentially affecting a significant portion of Dell’s workforce.
Dell has mandated a five-day return-to-office policy for its global sales team, catching employees off guard and sparking widespread concern.The directive, announced via an internal memo on September 26, gave staff just two working days’ notice before implementation.
According to the memo obtained by Business Insider, sales chiefs Bill Scannell and John Byrne declared, “The expectation is that ALL Global Sales team members who can work from a Dell office be on-site five days a week, regardless of role.” This unexpected shift comes mere months after Dell introduced a hybrid work model in May, which required employees to be in the office approximately three days per week.
The sudden change has left many employees scrambling to reorganise their personal lives. In the memo, Scannell and Byrne acknowledged that workers had arranged their lives around coming in three days a week and “may need some time to make new arrangements.” However, the memo did not provide a specific timeframe for these adjustments, leaving many employees feeling rushed and unprepared.
According to the report, some employees speculate that the move could be influenced by similar decisions from tech giants like Amazon. A Dell technical support worker mentioned hearing that the policy might be implemented “because that’s what Amazon is doing.”
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in a memo that employees are required to return to the office five days a week starting January 2, 2025. Amazon’s decision is based on the belief that in-person work strengthens company culture and improves collaboration and innovation.
A Dell spokesperson says that flexibility is encouraged and that team members should collaborate with managers to accommodate specific needs during the transition. However, employees report that office parking lots are now full, and workspaces are packed, indicating widespread compliance with the new policy.