HR News: Even Zoom Returns to Office, Amazon Tracks Workers' Attendance, Marvel Wants to Unionize, CAA Layoffs, Meta Rehires

This is a weekly roundup of the latest in HR News.

Return to office (RTO) mandates at tech companies, including Zoom of all places, dominated the headlines in Human Resources news in the last week. As everyone in HR admits the future of work has arrived and advanced technologies have propelled work transformation, this push for RTO has some people shaking their heads. Zoom wasn't the only one bringing this subject to the forefront. Amazon is tracking employees working from home, too. 

In addition, Marvel announced layoffs amid Disney's poor third quarter showing. The company laid off a small group of podcasters in the division. Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the famous talent agency, also announced layoffs with the writer's strike continuing to impact Hollywood. At the same time, Meta is reportedly trying to rehire some of those it let go at the height of the recent layoffs. 

Even Zoom Returns to Office

The big news of the week is the fact that RTO must have killed work from home (WFH) once and for all because even Zoom is making employees return to their bricks-and-mortar buildings. Zoom, after all, is the company that permitted everyone else to transition to remote work practically overnight at the start of the pandemic. 

Anyone living within 50 miles of a company office must report there at least twice per week. The company was a darling of the pandemic, but its growth trajectory has diminished. In February, it had laid off 15% of its staff, according to the Washington Post. The Post summed up the continuing debate about how to work moving forward:

"For many employees, working from home during the coronavirus pandemic gave them an opportunity to reevaluate their relationship with work and develop a healthier work-life balance. Companies say working in office augments innovation and collaboration."

One of the real issues for companies - and the cities of their offices - is the economics of real estate. The companies are paying for expensive real estate, and the cities' economies rely on workers going in and out of buildings and needing the resources around those buildings everyday. 

Amazon Tracks Employees

Amazon sent a notice to employees who had not gone into the office at least three times per week. It proved the company is tracking employees in the hopes of forcing people back into the office.

"The email was intended to be sent to workers who have come into the office fewer than three days a week for five or more of the past eight weeks, according to a follow-up message sent to employees that Amazon shared with the Guardian," according to The Guardian. "Some employees reported receiving the email by mistake and were encouraged to clarify their attendance with human resources."

Of course, the big tech companies that paved the way for remote work appear to be turning their back on it with Amazon joining the likes of Apple, Twitter, and Zoom. 

Marvel Set to Unionize

Marvel recently faced layoffs. As recently as Aug. 1, Marvel laid off podcasters. It amounted to no more than three people, but it offered a message about the company's support of audio workers now. In addition, a supermajority of Marvel Studios' Visual Effects (VFX) Studiossome folks at Marvel made a move to change that, with a supermajority of Marvel Studios’ VFX crew signing cards saying they want to be represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). Wired reports that this is big news for the implications it will have on Hollywood. 

CAA Layoffs

Deadline reports that CAA is planning a staff reduction that will impact about 60 people across a number of divisions. The timing is interesting because it is about a little more than a year after CAA acquired ICM Partners. In addition, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA unions are on strike now. 

Meta Rehires the Laid Off

Several outlets are reporting that Meta is trying to rehire dozens of the 21,000 staffers who had been laid off as part of the company's massive cuts. Specifically, Entrepreneur and others are saying that Meta is seeking out those former employees, who have engineering and technical skills. Despite this being the "year of efficiency" as dubbed by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the company gained a boost from the success of Instagram reels with advertisers and the early adoption of its Twitter rival Threads. 

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