DALLAS, TX – OCTOBER 03: CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, speaks during a roundtable discussion … [+] focusing on assisting American workers for the changing economy at El Centro community college on October 3, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. Google announced that it is committing to a White House initiative designed to get private companies to expand job training. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
At Google’s all-hands meeting on Thursday, CEO Sundar Pichai did not offer details whether the company’s would continue to allow employees to work from home, according to a report from The Information.
Pichai has reportedly dodged questions about if and when employees would be mandated to return to offices for at least three meetings. Google employees have done their own internal polling to estimate what the likelihood is of work from home continuing for the company, putting the odds at less than 20 percent.
This comes as other tech companies are shifting completely to a work-from-home model. Twitter is no longer requiring employees to work out of an office, offering work-from-home arrangements permanently.
Facebook has also expressed an interest to have more positions based from remote locations, planning to hire permanent remote and saying that up to half of Facebook’s workforce could work remotely within 10 years. The move may save Facebook some money, as the company said it may cut pay for those who opt to live in markets with lower living expenses.
As COVID-19 continues to spike around the U.S., particularly in Google’s home state of California, it is likely Google will continue to allow employees to work remotely and change some of their reopening plans. In May, on The Vergecast podcast, Pichai said he expected to be at 30% office capacity. Pichai also said productivity of Google employees was down during the pandemic.
BEIJING, CHINA – March 2: People chat in the cafeteria of Google offices on March 2, 2006 in … [+] Beijing, China. (Photo by Servais Mont/Getty Images)
Google became infamous for creating the standard office perks now found at most technology companies. Google has also negotiated long-term leases at multiple high-profile sites globally, which come at a high cost to the company.
At Google, company employees can enjoy up to three free meals per day, an on-site gym, sleep pods and more. Some observers have seen these perks come at a cost to workers, who may often feel encouraged to spend more time at the office.
Once Google began offering these perks, they became standard for all technology companies in the Bay Area and are seen as recruiting tools. Now, it appears it company is hesitant on committing to the “New Normal.”
