Slack delays the reopening of its offices until September, but commits to continuing to pay contractors and hourly workers their regular wages (WORK)

slack stewart butterfield

Slack will not reopen its offices until at least September 1 of this year, and is committed to continue paying its employees who can't do their work from home, including contractors and hourly workers.
While other tech companies have also committed to paying their hourly and contract workers during this time, Slack's potential reopening date of September 1 would likely make it the longest period any tech company has committed to yet.
Slack made the decision to make the delay because it means "less exposure for our employees, fewer invasive distancing measures in offices, less disruption for customers, and greater flexibility in weathering a potential second wave of the virus," SVP of people Robby Kwok said in a blog post.
Slack's announcement also comes as the company has seen record usage due to the spike in remote work — adding 9,000 new customers in the first half of the quarter.
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Slack says it will not reopen its offices until at least September 1 of this year — a significant delay to the date of June 1 that it had originally targeted.

In blog post announcing the decision, Slack Senior VP of People Robby Kwok wrote that embracing remote work for a longer period means "less exposure for our employees, fewer invasive distancing measures in offices, less disruption for customers, and greater flexibility in weathering a potential second wave of the virus."

Kwok also wrote that Slack was committed to continuing to pay any employees who can't do their work from home, including contractors and hourly workers.

Slack first closed its offices on March 18, in a decision that came right before its home city of San Francisco enacted a shelter-in-place order. That order has since been extended until May 3 for most counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Slack is one of the very few companies to provide its employees with a target date for a return to the office. Of note is that while many other tech companies have also committed to paying their hourly and contract workers during this period of mandatory remote work, this news means that Slack is promising to keep that commitment alive through at least September 1st — likely the longest period publicly announced by any major tech company.

Kwok added that the new date also can pave the way for "other workers to return to work first—those who cannot work remotely to sustain their livelihood," and gives employees more flexibility throughout the summer months when schools and childcare facilities will like be disrupted. California schools are closed for the remainder of the school year.

In China, where the pandemic started, social distancing mandates are being lifted. Microsoft is gradually reopening its China offices and manufacturers like Foxconn, Apple's largest manufacturing partner, have reopened factories.

In order to fully reopen all offices, experts say testing and contact tracing will likely have to become widely available.

Slack's announcement comes as the company has fully adapted to "remote operations, while helping millions of new and existing users meet the challenge of a new way of working," Kwok wrote. Slack has seen record usage of its workplace chat app due to the spike in remote work — adding 9,000 new customers in the first half of the quarter, almost as much as in the previous two quarters combined.

Got a tip? Contact this reporter via email at pzaveri@businessinsider.com or Signal at 925-364-4258. (PR pitches by email only, please.) You can also contact Business Insider securely via SecureDrop.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why Pikes Peak is the most dangerous racetrack in America