Twitter makes working from home mandatory for employees globally

Twitter Inc. escalated its coronavirus response by mandating that all employees must work from home, having previously only recommended the practice.

The San Francisco-based company has more than 35 offices around the world, with its Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea locations already put on mandatory remote work due in part to government restrictions. As it expands the policy to its global workforce, Twitter said it will continue to pay contractors and hourly-wage workers to cover standard working hours during the disruption.

The steps taken by the social media giant mirror responses across the U.S. tech industry, with Microsoft Corp. and others committing to pay hourly workers unable to do their on-site jobs and also urging those who can to switch to working remotely.