Update on Slack office closures from Slack SVP of People Robby Kwok (April 23, 2020)

On April 23, we announced that Slack offices will not fully re-open until at least September 1, 2020. Since first closing all offices on March 18, the Slack team has successfully adapted to fully remote operations, while helping millions of new and existing users meet the challenge of a new way of working.

Moving forward those employees who cannot work from home will continue to be paid as usual—this includes contractors and people paid hourly.

Keeping offices closed and 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. It means we can be good citizens and pave the way for other workers to return to work first—those who cannot work remotely—to sustain their livelihood. It also enables our employees to get through the summer months of inevitably disrupted school and child care.

We are closely monitoring the situation globally and will provide further updates as new information is available.

In addition to focusing on the health and well-being of our employees, we are also continuing to execute against our pre-established business continuity and pandemic plans. While no systems can perfectly anticipate every contingency, we are confident in our product’s technical architecture and its ability to handle the increased volume and load. For information about Slack’s business continuity plans, see this blog post.