Updated, Feb. 21
Nike confirmed to FN today that employees will return to the office on May 3.
Though the company did not directly provide updated guidance about its new office model, the brand said last May it planned to reopen U.S. offices with a “3-2 flexible work model,” which would allow employees to work remotely up to two days a week. Business Insider, citing an internal company memo, reported last week that the Swoosh is sticking with that plan.
Many companies have indicated they will go the hybrid route as Omnicron concerns ease and offices reopen.
Nike said in October that it would require all office-based U.S. employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The company will mark a big milestone at the same time its team returns to the office — the 50th anniversary of the Nike brand.
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What We Reported in December 2021:
Following a trend among major companies in recent weeks, Nike has delayed its plan to return to U.S. offices indefinitely.
In a memo sent to employees on Friday, which was viewed by FN, Nike’s chief human resources officer Monique Matheson said that that employees will no longer be required to return to Nike’s U.S. offices on its previously announced date of Jan. 10, 2022. The memo cited the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases across the U.S. and the latest Omicron variant as reasons for the delay.
“Experts are predicting case levels to surge in the coming weeks, which coincides with our planned return to our workplaces,” the memo read.
Nike did not announce a new return date, but said it would let employees know at least four weeks in advance. FN has reached out to Nike for a comment.
“When we do return, we will embrace flexibility as I reinforced on Tuesday,” Matheson wrote in the memo.
In May, Nike said it planned to eventually open U.S. offices with a “3-2 flexible work model,” which would allow employees to work remotely up to two days a week. Nike later said in October that it would require all office-based U.S. employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to bring employees back to its offices by Jan. 10.
The vaccination policy is still in place, according to the most recent communication. In the memo, Matheson said that Nike “strongly” encourages vaccinated employees to get a booster shot “as soon as possible,” though the company has not yet made boosters a requirement.
Earlier this month, TJX Companies, the parent company of Marshalls and TJ Maxx, became the first major retailer to say it would mandate booster shots for all eligible office employees. Other companies Under Armour have also laid out company vaccine mandates but have not yet announced booster requirements.
