Thursday, April 1, 2021

Google is Accelerating Reopening of Offices and Putting Limits on Future Remote Work


Google, one of the first major U.S. companies to send employees home last year because of the coronavirus, is setting new remote work guidelines as it speeds up plans to get staffers back to the office, reports CNBC.

 Google is accelerating reopening plans in some parts of the U.S. on a volunteer basis ahead of the Sept. 1 return deadline, according to internal documents viewed by CNBC. Offices will reopen in a limited capacity in April based on vaccine availability and a downward trend in Covid-19 cases.

“It’s now been a year since many of us have been working from home, and the thought of returning to the office might inspire different emotions,” wrote Fiona Cicconi, Google’s new head of people operations, in a companywide email on Wednesday. Cicconi advised employees to get the Covid-19 vaccine but said it’s not mandatory.

If employees want to work remotely after Sept. 1, for more than 14 days per year, they’ll have to formally apply for it, according to a separate note marked “Need to know.” They can apply for up to 12 months in “the most exceptional circumstances.” The company could, however, call employees back to their assigned office at any point, the note said.

Google is preparing for a broad reopening in September, when employees will be expected to show up in person three days a week, according to CNBC.

-RW

3 comments:

  1. this is simply a play to get all the team back into a controlled environment to resume corp culture conditioning.

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  2. They discovered what we already predicted: there was too much screwing around and not enough work being done at home.

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  3. "Hey Team! Any volunteers to test-drive a new, pilot program we're developing? It's called 'working at the office.'"

    ReplyDelete