After 3,300 job cuts, Uber tightens work-from-home rules: Only 1% employees to remain fully remote

Uber has already started a massive layoff drive, eliminating more than 3,000 positions as part of what the company described as a simplification of its team structures.

The company has decided to reduce its workforce by around 10%, saying the move is about "how we’re organized and what we’re prioritizing, not about anyone’s contributions to Uber, which we will always value."

Uber announces organisational changes

"The changes we’re making today are designed to do two things: make Uber simpler and faster, and create more capacity to invest in our future," the company said.

"A leaner organization will mean clearer ownership, faster decisions, and more time spent building rather than coordinating. It will also generate savings that we intend to reinvest in growth, innovation, and the capabilities that will matter most over the coming years," it added.

"It’s our job as leaders to make these difficult calls, and to give you transparency into our thinking and our decision-making process," the company said.

Uber’s new return-to-office policy

Under the revised approach, Uber is tightening its expectations around where employees work.

• Three days a week in office: Uber is retaining its existing hybrid-work requirement of at least three days in the office each week, while reinforcing compliance with the policy.
• Only around 1% fully remote: Going forward, only around 1% of Uber employees will be allowed to work fully remotely.
• Most remote employees to return: The vast majority of employees currently working remotely will be expected to move to an office near their teams.
• Relocation may be required: Some remote employees may have to relocate to a designated office hub to continue in their roles.
• Greater focus on co-location: Uber wants managers and their teams to work from the same location wherever possible, with particular emphasis on earlier-career employees.
• Hub-based structure: Global teams will be concentrated in major hubs such as New York and San Francisco, while regional, country and technology teams will be assigned to designated hubs.

Why is Uber tightening its office policy?

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has said the company believes teams collaborate and solve problems more effectively when working face-to-face.

The return-to-office push comes alongside Uber's decision to cut around 3,300 jobs, or roughly 10% of its workforce, as the company seeks to simplify its organisational structure, speed up decision-making and create greater capacity for investment in growth and innovation.