Google to Return to Working from Office in the New Year

Google is rethinking its return-to-office plans, stating that its US employees would not be required to work in a hybrid model as of January 10th, as previously stated. According to a Google representative, the company’s current strategy is to postpone new initiatives until next year, with timeline choices remaining in the hands of local offices.

As the pandemic progressed, the company’s return-to-work plans changed many times. When the delta version became a major issue in August, we heard that the firm planned to keep in-office work voluntary until at least January 10th, 2022.

That strategy differed from a prior one announced in December 2020, which called for employees to return in September. According to an email obtained by CNBC from Google Vice President Chris Rackow, the firm reiterated a commitment made in August that full-time employees will be granted a 30-day transition period from working remotely to working in the office when the business begins to bring them back in. Google said it still plans to follow CEO Sundar Pichai’s hybrid workweek strategy, which calls for “most” to work three days in the office and two days remotely.

The corporation has also opened 90 percent of its US locations for employees to come in on a voluntary basis, according to the spokeswoman. According to CNBC, Google wants employees to come in “to reconnect with colleagues in person and begin rebuilding the muscle memory of being in the office more regularly.” It remains to be seen whether this will continue to be possible, and it will most likely be determined by the US response as more cases of the omicron version of the coronavirus emerge.