‘Majority’ of Red Hat employees don’t have to return to cubicles under ‘office-flex’ plan

RALEIGH – Red Hat’s “new normal” post-pandemic for its employee includes more flexibility for its workforce includes what the software giant calls “office-flex.” In other words, most workers can choose NOT to come to the office.

In a blog post, Chief People Officer Jennifer Dudeck says the Raleigh-based company which has always been known for a free spirited yet very productive work environment won’t join the growing list of companies mandating a return to cubicles.

“While some of our tech peers are pulling employees back to the office, we don’t think our workforce needs to be in an office to be successful—we’ve seen the value in providing flexibility,” Dudeck writes.

Jennifer Dudeck (Red Hat photo)

Instead, Red Hat the future of work “is driven by one concept: flexibility.”

That means a “majority” of workers she labels as associates will have te office-flex option.

“With COVID-19 still a concern for associates caring for immunocompromised loved ones, no Red Hatter is required to be in an office if they do not wish to return,” Dudeck says.

Just a year ago both Red Hat and IBM required employees to be vaccinated before returning to the office.

However, IBM also has adopted a workplace plan based on flexibility. IBM Chair and CEO Arvind Krishna told CNBC in July that only 20% of workers will be required back in offices.

Red Hat has some 19,000 employees worldwide with around 2,500 based at its Raleigh office tower headquarters.

Dudeck, a former executive at Cisco, points out the benefits of flexibility in citing herself and family.

“As the parent of a special-needs child, I was very fortunate to have flexibility when I needed it because I worked from home for more than a decade before joining Red Hat. Our approach not only expands associate flexibility, but extends trust, gives back time and provides freedom to adapt each day to work and family needs,” she says.

“The benefits of expanding flexibility also don’t just accrue to associates–our approach allows us to unlock a wider talent pool and create a lasting employer-value proposition. Not being limited by location when hiring provides a much broader opportunity to attract and retain great associates, especially when it comes to diverse talent.”

‘Our new normal’

Dudeck’s post outlines the new post-pandemic normal at Red Hat.

“Our ‘new normal’ presents unique challenges for companies thinking seriously about the future of work,” she wrote. “As the world’s leading open source software company, Red Hat shares its products and what we’ve learned for free.”

Red Hat is part of the growing IBM empire but the company’s leadership has sought to maintain its independence in workforce culture and other matters since Big Blue bought the company for $34 billion. The deal closed in 2019. Jim Whitehurst – the CEO at the time – and his successor Paul Cormier stressed freedom. That trend is continuing under Matt Hicks who recently replaced Cormier.

But “office-flex” doesn’t mean a less demanding workplace as Hicks told employees when he replaced Cormier (now chairman) in July.

“Our legacy of success, however, can trick us into believing it’s a given for Red Hat. I’ve learned a lot from Paul Cormier over the years, but the thing that I try to bring in every day is that we will have to fight for Red Hat to succeed—it won’t be given to us.,” he wrote. “That was true the day Red Hat was founded, it is true today, and it will be true far into the future.: