In this article
Uber on Monday informed employees, including some who had been previously approved for remote work, that it will require them to come to the office three days a week, CNBC has learned.
“Even as the external environment remains dynamic, we’re on solid footing, with a clear strategy and big plans,” CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told employees in the memo, which was viewed by CNBC. “As we head into this next chapter, I want to emphasize that ‘good’ is not going to be good enough — we need to be great.”
Khosrowshahi goes on to say employees need to push themselves so the company “can move faster and take smarter risks,” and outlined several changes to Uber’s work policy.
Uber in 2022 established Tuesdays and Thursdays as “anchor days” where most employees must spend at least half of their work time in the company’s office. Starting in June, employees will be required in the office Tuesday through Thursday, according to the memo.
That includes some employees who were previously approved to work remotely. The company said it had already informed affected remote employees.
“After a thorough review of our existing remote approvals, we’re asking many remote employees to come into an office,” Khosrowshahi wrote. “In addition, we’ll hire new remote roles only very sparingly.”
The company also changed its one-month paid sabbatical program, according to the memo. Previously, employees were eligible for the sabbatical after five years at the company. That has now been raised to eight years, according to the memo.
“This program was created when Uber was a much younger company, and when reaching 5 years of tenure was a rare feat,” Khosrowshahi wrote. “Back then, we were in the office five (sometimes more!) days of a week and hadn’t instituted our Work from Anywhere benefit.”
Khosrowshahi said the changes will help Uber move faster.
“Our collective view as a leadership team is that while remote work has some benefits, being in the office fuels collaboration, sparks creativity, and increases velocity,” Khosrowshahi wrote.
The changes come as more companies in the tech industry cut costs to appease investors after over-hiring during the Covid-19 pandemic. Google recently began demanding that employees who were previously approved for remote work also return to the office if they want to keep their jobs, CNBC reported last week.
Last year, Khosrowshahi blamed remote work for the loss of its most loyal customers, who would take ride-sharing as their commute to work.
“Going forward, we’re further raising this bar,” Khosrowshahi’s Monday memo said. “After a thorough review of our existing remote approvals, we’re asking many remote employees to come into an office. In addition, we’ll hire new remote roles only very sparingly.”
Uber’s leadership team will monitor attendance “at both team and individual levels to ensure expectations are being met,” Khosrowshahi wrote.
Following the memo, Uber employees immediately swarmed the company’s internal Q-and-A forum, according to correspondence viewed by CNBC. Khosrowshahi said he and Nikki Krishnamurthy, the company’s chief people officer, will hold an all-hands meeting on Tuesday to discuss the changes.
Many employees asked leadership to reconsider the sabbatical change, arguing that the company should honor the original eligibility policy.
“This isn’t ‘doing the right thing’ for your employees,” one employee commented.
Uber did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
WATCH: Lightning Round: Uber goes higher from here, says Jim Cramer
Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.
Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox
Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.
© 2025 CNBC LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Division of NBCUniversal
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis.
Data also provided by
To provide you with a more relevant online experience, certain online ad partners may combine personal information that we make available with data across different businesses and otherwise assist us with related advertising activities, as described in our Privacy Policy . This may be considered “selling” or “sharing/processing” for targeted online advertising under applicable law.
If you are a resident of one of the states listed in the ‘Your Rights’ section of NBCUniversal’s Privacy Policy, to opt out of us selling or sharing/processing your personal information:
Please note that choices related to cookies and device identifiers are specific to the brand’s website or app on the browser or device where you are making the election.
Resident of the states listed in the ‘Your Rights’ section of NBCUniversal’s Privacy Policy Only: To opt out of selling or sharing/processing for targeted advertising of information such as cookies and device identifiers processed for targeted ads (as defined by law) and related purposes for this site/app on this browser/device, switch this toggle to off (grey color) by moving it left and clicking “Confirm My Choice” below. (This will close this dialogue box, so please open the email Opt-Out Form 1st). ALL OTHER LOCATIONS: If we do not detect that you are in one of the states listed in the ‘Your Rights’ section of NBCUniversal’s Privacy Policy, this choice will not apply even if you toggle this button off. If you turn this off, you will still see ads, but they may be less relevant or based only on our first-party information about you. Please note, you must make the Manage Preference choices on each site/app on each browser/device you use to access the services. You must also renew this choice if you clear your cookies. You can change your precise geolocation permissions for our mobile apps in your mobile device settings.
To opt out of the use of your email and other personal information related to that email such as your name for targeted advertising activities please complete this Opt-Out Form
These Cookies are required for Service functionality, including security and fraud prevention, and to enable any purchasing capabilities. You can set your browser to block these Cookies, but some parts of the site may not function properly.