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BACK TO WORK

Google tells employees to return to the office from April

Google headquarters in Mountain View, California, U.S., on Thursday, 27 January 2022.

Alphabet Inc.’s Google is asking employees in the San Francisco Bay Area to work in their offices three days a week starting in April, marking its first return to campuses since the pandemic began.

John Casey, Google’s vice-president of Global Benefits, shared the news with staff in an email on Wednesday. He said the company made the decision after a “steady decline in cases that we continue to see, and the improved safety measures” at its campus in Mountain View, California, and other neighboring sites.

Google Bets on Hybrid Work With $1 Billion London Office Deal

Google is one of the largest companies attempting a “hybrid” model of office and remote work. The technology giant has pushed its return date multiple times, most recently postponing a January start due to omicron.

Google’s commitment to office work has frustrated some employees who wanted to move outside of the pricey Bay Area. In his email, Casey wrote that “nearly 14,000” employees globally have moved to a new location or been given approval to work remotely.

“We plan to use March to help folks transition to their new routines and aim to be fully functional in our hybrid working approach (in line with Product Area and function guidelines) by April 4,” Casey said in the email.

© 2022 Bloomberg L.P.

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  • Rory Macnamara says:

    About time South Africa got back to real work places as well. hybrid offices are just excuses for not working, returning messages, not answering emails and such normal work practices.

    • Marco Savio Savio says:

      I am inclined to want to agree with this, however my real life experiences has shown that there are many able, willing and friendly people at the other end of the line who do answer, do help and do the best within the systems they work in. Some days are better than others.

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