Facebook to reopen Seattle offices for employees at 10% capacity

One of Seattle's major tech companies said it will begin the process of returning employees to the office almost a year after the COVID-19 pandemic sent workers home.

The Puget Sound Business Journal reported that Facebook, the area's fifth largest tech company with over 5,400 employees, will reopen its Seattle offices at 10% capacity, prioritizing workers who have been struggling to be productive at home.

It is the first major company in the Puget Sound region to announce a plan to return to office work, although remote options were still available for employees.

"We continue to offer voluntary work from home until July 2 globally," said spokesperson Tracy Clayton. "We are encouraging everyone who can do their work remotely to continue working from home."

Facebook was one of the first companies in the region to shut their offices and send workers home after an employee tested positive for COVID-19 in early March 2020.

But even amid the pandemic, the company has continued to expand its footprint in the region. In September 2020, Facebook bought REI's unused headquarters in Bellevue's Spring District for $367.6 million and said it will add 2,300 employees at the new location.

Other Facebook offices in Redmond and Bellevue are also "on the verge of opening again at a scale not seen since the COVID pandemic began more than a year ago," according to PSBJ. However, no exact timeline was disclosed.

Other companies in the area have extended their work-from-home policies until the summer, or even shifted workers to full-remote work. Amazon extended its work-from-home policy for corporate employees to June 30, while Redmond-based Microsoft implemented a "hybrid workplace" model that would allow some to work from home permanently.

Starbucks extended their work from home policy until October 2021 and announced that they would be using the extra time to redesign the workspace to support a flexible work environment.

The global coffee retailer is also considering a "hoteling" feature that will allow employees to rent desks and meeting rooms on days they have to be present in the office.

The re-opening of Facebook's offices comes as the state just surpassed 5,000 COVID-related deaths almost a year after the first U.S. death was reported.