Back In The Office
Verizon Media: Israel office leading the return back to normal
CTech was invited to visit Verizon Media’s Israel office to understand how the company looked after its employees as they returned to the office following the Covid-19 pandemic
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“From a Covid perspective, we returned to the offices in April and Verizon made some adjustments to Israel, because Israel led the return to the office,” explained Ephrat Carmel Mor, Head of HR at Verizon Media Israel. “We are actually one of the first offices that returned so fast.”
Verizon Media invited CTech into its office as part of a new series called ‘Back To The Office’, where companies share insights into how they navigated Covid-19 and prepared for a safe adjustment from remote working to hybrid models. Verizon Media was formed in 2017 when it merged its two acquisitions Yahoo and AOL, and Mor said it made the safety of each employee a priority.
“It was very smooth, working from home,” Mor told CTech. “They said immediately when it started that safety and health are first. Take care of yourself and take care of your families. Do your best, but if you cannot work as before, it’s ok.”
The Verizon Media team in Israel is made up of more than 200 software engineers and scientists working in their Ramat Gan and Haifa offices. They have a vast impact on the company’s core business, directly affecting the product experience of hundreds of millions of consumers across its products, as well as building the heart of its B2B products, from video streaming technology to ad platforms. Today, it has an impact on 900 million people around the world.
During the pandemic, Verizon was recognized by Forbes as the number one company in terms of supporting employees during Covid-19. For over a year, the team was working fully from home, and in recent months they moved to a hybrid model allowing employees the flexibility to work from either the office or home. Throughout this period the company was taking special care to maintain a healthy work-life balance across all teams, mindful of maintaining relationships, as well as company culture, relying on virtual means.
CTech’s visit to Verizon Media came at an exciting time for the company: it had recently announced that Apollo Funds will be acquiring 90% of Verizon Media, with Verizon retaining the remaining 10%. The resulting company will be known as Yahoo, which is one of the best recognized digital media brands in the world and the fourth most visited internet property globally.
“Yahoo, the iconic brand, is making a comeback,” Mor told CTech. She assured CTech that none of the 200 employees will be affected by the global change, and day-to-day operations will not change for the teams in Israel. “We are an industry that has things changing and moving fast all the time… There will not be an impact on employees in Israel. We're just looking forward to the next chapter.”
