General Motors Co. executives are delaying the timeline for returning white-collar workers to the office after backlash from a ruling released last week requiring employees to return to work in person three days a week, according to a Tuesday memo.
“We recognize that the timing of the message, late on a Friday afternoon, was unfortunate. It was also unintentional,” the automaker’s top executives, including CEO Mary Barra and Chairman Mark Reuss, wrote in the memo obtained. by The Detroit News.
On Friday, GM told employees it would force them back into the office three days a week later this year. The move came after GM introduced a “Working Appropriately” model last year that gave GM teams the flexibility to work from home, a lab, office or wherever they can perform at their best. .
In Tuesday’s memo, executives said the company will not make any changes to the “Work Appropriately” model until the first quarter of 2023 from now on. , wrote the leaders.
“As we transition to a more regular in-person work cycle, our plan is to collaboratively design the solution that best balances business needs with employee needs,” the GM spokeswoman said. Maria Raynal, in a press release. “We are spending the next few weeks listening to feedback and will work to incorporate it into our plans.”
Executives explained in the memo that the decision to adapt the model was discussed earlier last week at a senior leadership meeting and that some information was shared “prematurely” with parts of the business. .
“So we opted to communicate company-wide before we had the opportunity to collaborate more broadly on the implementation plan,” they wrote. “We believe the benefits of being transparent – even with suboptimal timing and partial details – outweigh the risk of creating mistrust by letting you hear second-hand information.”
The company plans to provide employees with more information in late October, according to the memo: “Until then, we continue to seek constructive dialogue about our culture, collaboration, speed and innovation. We are committed to listening.
The Detroit Free Press reported on Tuesday’s memo earlier Tuesday.