By Emma Nitzsche 

LinkedIn will now allow its 16,000 employees to opt for full-time remote work or a hybrid office option as more workspaces call their workers back to the office. The new policy supersedes the initial announcement LinkedIn made last October requiring employees to work from an office 50% of the time once the CDC lifted all COVID-19 restrictions.

Although remote work is allowed, the Microsoft-tech company said employees who relocated during the pandemic might have their pay modified. Greg Snapper, LinkedIn’s director of corporate communications, said that employees who move from more expensive cities like San Francisco and New York to cheaper locations would have their pay reduced to reflect the market rate where the employee is currently living.

“We anticipate that we’ll definitely see more remote employees than what we saw prior to the pandemic,” Chief People Officer Teuila Hanson told Reuters in an interview about the announcement.

Hanson added that while the new policy would apply to most job positions, some jobs would require in-office work to complete the necessary assignments.

In the announcement, LinkedIn said it would not require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to return to the office.

LinkedIn’s updated policies regarding remote work and vaccines come in contrast to other Silicon Valley tech companies. The tech company was one of the first large corporations to allow its employees to work from home when COVID-19 started running rampant throughout the nation last year.

The levels by which other tech companies are embracing permanent remote work are varying. For instance, Google expects 60% of its workforce to return to the office at least part-time throughout the week. Apple will require its employees to work from the office at least three days a week. Apple employees, however, have pushed back on this decision and circulated a letter threatening to quit if required to work from an office.

Regarding vaccinations, Facebook and Google have released statements requiring their employees to be vaccinated before returning to the office. While Facebook said employees are welcome to work remotely forever, the social media group will join LinkedIn in reducing the salaries of employees who leave Silicon Valley for cheaper areas in the United States.

LinkedIn will reopen their global offices depending on the COVID-19 infection rates in each location.