Sundar Pichai: Google employees won’t return to office until at least June 1

Ben Schoon | Apr 29 2020 - 7:36 am PT

The coronavirus outbreak in the United States has forced many businesses to give up their offices and allow workers to keep things going from home. As coronavirus restrictions begin to be lifted, Google CEO Sundar Pichai is telling employees that they won’t return to the office until at least June.

An email viewed by CNBC sees Pichai explaining that Google plans to have a “staggered” and “incremental” return to offices in the wake of the coronavirus. This is being done, in part, to ease anxiety for Google employees regarding leaving their homes. The return to offices will also see specific instructions that vary from “location to location.”

Pichai has no specific date in mind for when Googlers will return to offices, but he says that “everyone who is in a recommended or mandatory work-from-home status should assume that will continue until at least June 1, 2020.”

I know that many of you have questions about what a return to the office might look like, and when. The six counties around Google’s headquarters in California have just announced an extension to the stay-at-home order through the end of May, while many other localities around the world are issuing their own guidance… everyone who is in a recommended or mandatory work-from-home status should assume that will continue until at least June 1, 2020.

Employees with special needs will be able to talk to managers about flexible plans for work once offices reopen. Pichai also says that employees should continue to follow “site-specific guidance” and even once offices reopen.

In the email, Pichai also extended his gratitude for employees in offices and data centers who still needed to come to the office. He said, “Your work has made it possible for us to help millions of others. I am grateful for everything our global teams are doing to deliver on our mission under these difficult circumstances.”