The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way business operate and that will continue for a long time with big tech companies improvising on a safer way to help their workers be more productive during the pandemic.

Salesforce is the latest n the league of big-tech firms allowing its employees to work from home based on a recently published blog on the company’s website which stated that “9-to-5 working is dead”.

The cloud computing company stated that it will allow its employees to choose one of the three categories that dictate how often, if ever, they return to the office once its safe to do so.

Other Silicon Valley firms such as Facebook and Microsoft and a host of others have already taken this route of operation which is meant to give their workforce a flexible working schedule which will allow them to stay clear off the coronavirus pandemic which has affected millions in the United states alone.

“As we enter a new year, we must continue to go forward with agility, creativity and a beginner’s mind — and that includes how we cultivate our culture. An immersive workspace is no longer limited to a desk in our Towers; the 9-to-5 workday is dead; and the employee experience is about more than ping-pong tables and snacks,” writes Brent Hyder, Salesforce’s chief people officer.

“In our always-on, always-connected world, it no longer makes sense to expect employees to work an eight-hour shift and do their jobs successfully,” Hyder adds. “Whether you have a global team to manage across time zones, a project-based role that is busier or slower depending on the season, or simply have to balance personal and professional obligations throughout the day, workers need flexibility to be successful.”

Situations such as employees picking up their kids at school or taking care of their sick relatives is part of why Hyder believes that there shouldn’t be need for a strict 8-hour shift everyday for employees

He also points to how the removal of strict in-office requirements will allow Salesforce to expand its recruitment of new employees beyond expensive urban centers like San Francisco and New York.

The three categories which Hyder defines includes Flex, fully remote and office-based. The flex mode will allow employees to come to the office one to three times a week which will be for “team collaboration, customer meetings and presentations” and this is the category that the company expects majority of its employees to fall to.

The other full-remote category will mean the employee won’t have to come to the office unless required to do so which might not be often while the office-based employees will be the smaller percentage of the company’s workforce and their role would require their presence at the office in about four to five days a week.

“Our employees are the architects of this strategy, and flexibility will be key going forward,” Hyder writes. “It’s our responsibility as employers to empower our people to get the job done during the schedule that works best for them and their teams, and provide flexible options to help make them even more productive.”