New York (CNN) Lyft’s new CEO, David Risher, announced another change for the ride-sharing company: Workers will soon have to return to the office.
On Friday, Risher announced “the first steps in a plan for a flexible model with more traditional office work,” a Lyft spokeswoman said.
“Personal communication matters and Lyft is about bringing people together,” Lyft’s statement said.
Lyft did not comment on the specifics of the plan but The New York Times did reported Risher told employees to return to the office at least three times a week — Monday, Wednesday and Thursday — after Labor Day.
In an interview with the newspaper, Risher suggested remote work isolates employees from each other, and “there’s a real sense of satisfaction in working together on a whiteboard on a problem.”
This is a polar shift from Lyft’s previous policy. Last March, the ride-sharing company declared It will become a “totally flexible workplace,” with employees choosing where to work and live while strongly supporting team meetings.
“A flexible workplace strikes the right balance between flexibility and choice — enabling us to do better work while attracting and retaining top talent,” Lyft said in a 2022 blog post.
Lyft decided last year as well Sub-lease Parts of its corporate office space are in San Francisco, New York City, Nashville and Seattle, Bloomberg reported.
The efforts are part of new CEO David Risher’s efforts as the company still struggles to turn a profit.
Risher, an Amazon veteran, served as its first head of product and head of U.S. retail. He took charge earlier this month After co-founders Logan Green and John Zimmer stepped down from their executive positions.
A day after the lift came the notice to return to the office An SEC filing It will eliminate 1,072 employees — or 26% of its workforce — and 250 open positions.
Risher said Lyft announced last week that it would “significantly reduce” its workforce.The layoffs are aimed at making Lyft a “faster, flatter company where everyone is closer to our riders and drivers,” according to an internal memo.
This is the second layoff announcement since November, when the company announced a 13% staff reduction Amid fears of an impending recession.
Uber’s ventures outside of ride-sharing, such as food and grocery delivery, have helped its business, Lift is not diversified. The latest quarter featured a lackluster earnings report for Wall Street — its stock is down 70% over the past year.
CNN’s Brian Fung contributed to this story.
