Zillow has announced it will allow the majority of its employees to work from home indefinitely.
Zillow first closed its offices in March, and said that since then, it has brought on about 500 more employees completely remote.
While this isn’t a first – other brokerages and companies in the U.S. have gone remote as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic – Zillow originally announced in April that its employees would be working from home through the end of 2020.
“At that time, we knew we were entering into uncharted territory, as a company and as a community,” a statement from Zillow Chief People Officer Dan Spaulding said. “Though we couldn’t know how the future of work would unfold, we knew one thing for certain: We would be vigilant and responsive to changing conditions, and flexible in setting work policies that keep our employees safe, supported and productive.”
Effective immediately, Zillow said it is offering about 90% of its approximately 5,400 employees to work from home, at least part-time, as an ongoing option.
Historically, Zillow said it has discouraged employees to work from home, but the pandemic has changed that.
“These past few months have shed light on the resilience of Zillow employees; their unflagging drive and commitment to innovate and serve our customers and partners at the highest levels, regardless of changing work conditions,” Spaulding said. “It’s been incredibly gratifying to see our community’s rapid and widespread adaptation to this new work reality. We have all learned the true importance of home.”
While its offices will remain a space for employees to collaborate when they do reopen, Zillow said its employees’ health and safety will remain a priority.
“We are not returning to work in the future, we are working right now, and are grateful for the hard work from our employees to find new ways to help our customers move forward to their next chapter, safely,” Spaulding added.
