Joining a slew of other companies amid the Delta variant of COVID-19, Google today announced that the vast majority of staff won’t have to return to offices until January 10, 2022.
In a memo this morning, CEO Sundar Pichai said that the company is extending its “global voluntary return-to-office policy through January 10, 2022, to give more Googlers flexibility and choice as they ramp back.”
For the past few weeks, Googlers have been able to voluntarily start working from campuses again. Pichai shared that tens of thousands of employees have chosen to do so, while a “large number of offices globally are already open for business.”
All other employees were expected to join in October, but this is now being pushed back to early next year. After that date, Google “will enable countries and locations to make determinations on when to end voluntary work-from-home based on local conditions.” The company believes that in-person work drives collaboration and spontaneity.
To make sure everyone has ample time to plan, you’ll have a 30-day heads-up before you’re expected back in the office.
Meanwhile, employees will get October 22 and December 17 — both Fridays — off as “global reset days.” The Google CEO ends the note on 2022 office returns with:
The road ahead may be a little longer and bumpier than we hoped, yet I remain optimistic that we will get through it together. It’s heartening to see Googlers starting to come back to more offices globally. The ability to reconnect in person has been re-energizing for many of us, and will make us even more effective in the weeks and months ahead. Thanks for all the great work thus far; look forward to a busy Q4 as we continue to find new ways to be helpful to people everywhere.
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