Zoom wants workers back in the office part-time

NEW YORK—The company whose name became synonymous with remote work is joining the growing return-to-office trend.

Zoom, the video conferencing pioneer, is asking employees who live within a 50-mile radius of its offices to work onsite two days a week, a company spokesperson confirmed in an email. The statement said the company has decided that “a structured hybrid approach–meaning employees that live near an office need to be onsite two days a week to interact with their teams–is most effective for Zoom.”

The new policy, which will be rolled out in August and September, was first reported by the New York Times, which said Zoom CEO Eric Yuan fielded questions from employees unhappy with the new policy during a Zoom meeting last week.

Zoom, based in San Jose, California, saw explosive growth during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic as companies scrambled to shift to remote work, and even families and friends turned to the platform for virtual gatherings. But that growth has stagnated as the pandemic threat has ebbed.

Shares of Zoom Video Communications Inc. have tumbled hard since peaking early in the pandemic, from $559 apiece in October 2020, to below $70 on Tuesday. Shares have slumped more than 10 percent to start the month of August.

In February, Zoom laid off about 1,300 people, or about 15 percent of its workforce.

Google, Salesforce and Amazon are among major companies that have also stepped up their returnto-office policies despite a backlash from some employees.

Similarly to Zoom, many companies are asking their employees to show up to the office only part- misinformation in the material it produces. In particular, photographers are concerned about the ability of artificial intelligence to create false images.

Seven US companies that are leading AI developers agreed in July to voluntary safeguards set by President Joe Biden’s administration for building their technology, but the commitments aren’t enforceable and don’t touch on intellectual property concerns. AP

This may sound like a classist statement—it’s not intended to be such because K-pop concert tickets are luxuries and basic necessities—but your gadgets matter. The more high-powered your laptop or mobile phone are, the better for you. Make sure you have several gadgets ready before selling opens. Have several paying options ready. Because of the huge volume of people at ticket-selling websites like Ticketnet and SM Tickets, your usual payment option could sometimes fail so it’s best to have a credit card, a debit card, GCash, and PayPal ready.

Some people I know ask their friends abroad to buy tickets for them from Philippine websites. Why? Because those who are abroad have a competitive edge due to the speed of their Internet. Here’s the thing though, Philippine ticket-selling websites only accept Philippine-issued cards. You need to ask your friends to do that or give them your own card details. This tip actually works. All of my friends who have done this have succeeded in getting their desired tickets.

■ If you’re on stan Twitter, you know that there are people who offer ticketing assistance. I have never tried getting tickets through them but people I asked have. Most have been successful but a number have been scammed so if you go for this option, please be careful.

■ Make sure you’re logged in to your account before the start of ticket-selling and don’t forget to refresh the page once selling begins. ■

Zte Included In Ftse4good Index Series For 8th Straight Year

ZTE Corp. (www.zte.com.cn/global), a global leading provider of information and communication technology solutions, has been listed once again in the prestigious FTSE4Good Index Series, a responsible investment (RI) index of FTSE Russell, a London Stock Exchange Group company. The recognition marks ZTE’s eighth consecutive inclusion, with ZTE’s H-share and A-share previously honored in the FTSE4Good Index Series in 2015 and 2021, respectively.

Created by the global index and data provider FTSE Russell, the FTSE4Good Index Series is designed to measure the performance of companies demonstrating strong Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices.

As a frontrunner in the ICT industry, ZTE has been incorporating the ethos of sustainable development into its corporate governance and operational endeavors, continuously elevating its social responsibility performance.

ZTE has actively engaged in recent years in global decarbonization and economic transformation, assuming a pivotal role in promoting green development. In May, the company expressed its participation in the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), with the aim to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in line with the 1.5°C temperature rise limitation pathway and ultimately reach net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest.

time, as hybrid work shapes up to be a lasting legacy of the pandemic. Since January, the average weekly office occupancy rate in 10 major US cities has hovered around 50 percent, dipping below that threshold during the summer months, according to Kastle Systems, which measures occupancy through entry swipes. AP

ZTE helps to connect the world with continuous innovation for a better future. The company provides innovative technologies and integrated solutions, as its portfolio spans all series of wireless, wireline, devices and professional telecommunications services. Serving over a quarter of the global population, ZTE is dedicated to creating a digital and intelligent ecosystem, and enabling connectivity and trust everywhere. ZTE is listed on both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges.

More information about ZTE’s delivery of social, environmental and governance values is available in the company’s FY22 Sustainability Report.