Sonos Plans Return-to-office Push For Its Product Teams

Sonos will soon beforehand labour connected its various merchandise teams who unrecorded adjacent its US agency locations to recreation successful for astatine slightest 2 days per week, The Verge has learned. That’s a notable break from nan company’s history, passim which Sonos has enthusiastically supported afloat distant and hybrid work. Job listings astatine Sonos routinely authorities that “it’s astir impact, not location.” Glassdoor reviews personification agelong backed this up, pinch labour reporting nary portion to recreation into nan office.

But that lax stance is group to alteration somewhat arsenic Sonos continues its effort to correct nan alloy pursuing this year’s app mishap and enactment connected measurement pinch upcoming products. It’s adopting a stricter argumentation that will telephone for merchandise labour incorrect proximity of Santa Barbara, Boston, Seattle, and San Francisco to regularly beryllium coming astatine those offices. The Santa Barbara location is wherever Sonos is headquartered. The institution too presently operates world offices successful Paris and nan Netherlands

“Flexibility has been a halfway tenet of really Sonos has operated since our founding. Flexibility is not going away, but for illustration galore companies, we are evaluating nan effect that in-person collaboration has connected nan effectiveness of our teams and our culture,” Sonos said successful a relationship provided by spokesperson Olivia Singer.

“Sonos merchandise teams spot dense connected collaboration, firm problem-solving, and hands-on testing. These are activities which we judge tin beryllium done overmuch efficaciously in-person. We will beryllium prioritizing agency abstraction for our merchandise teams to collaborate in-person 2+ days per week depending connected location (proximity to office), role, and existent needs. Many Sonos labour and teams, however, will spot nary alteration to their existent activity situation.”

Employees astatine Sonos show maine that morale remains debased internally — it’s been that measurement since nan app contention spiraled into a business — pinch immoderate fearing different activity of layoffs successful nan coming weeks aft 100 labour were trim backmost successful April.

New business postings from nan institution personification been highly bladed successful caller weeks arsenic Sonos tightens its loop amid sluggish demand. During past month’s quarterly nett call, CEO Patrick Spence and CFO Saori Casey said Sonos will return immoderate steps are basal to support nan equilibrium expanse wherever it needs to beryllium arsenic nan audio institution navigates a challenging play for its business. Those measures already spot leaning overmuch dense connected AI to conception customer support requests.

The caller Sonos Arc Ultra has received affirmative reviews crossed nan board, including from yours truly. But a azygous merchandise hasn’t gone acold successful convincing rank-and-file labour (or nan company’s astir ardent customers) that Sonos is backmost connected nan correct trajectory for nan agelong haul.

Return-to-office mandates personification spell communal crossed nan tech industry; galore ample companies require labour to badge successful astatine slightest 3 days each week. Amazon made waves earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile it announced a return to nan accepted five-day agency activity week.