Google hybrid mode

“Campfire,” a Google experiment. © Google.

Sundar Pichai, Google CEO, expects that 60% of the company’s roughly 140,000 global employees, who all have been telecommuting for the past year, will spend about three days per week in the office after the pandemic, while around 20% of employees would continue to work remotely on a permanent basis. Google employees will also be able to request a location transfer upon manager approval. A policy of work-from-anywhere weeks will let employees work away from their main office for up to four weeks per year. Mr. Pichai adds that Google will provide more details on these changes by mid-June.

The research giant is the latest tech company to announce major post-pandemic shifts to its work culture. Microsoft will let its employees work from home half the week, or to work remotely on a permanent basis upon supervisors’ approval. Twitter and Facebook announced similar plans to let employees work from home or remotely indefinitely. At Spiria, we have also implemented a similar policy. We intend for people to be present in the office 50% of the time. Half a week, a month, a year, whatever, flexibility is the key here. This way, people will be able to travel during working holidays.

⇨ The Verge, Jon Porter, “Google expects most staff to spend about three days per week in the office post-pandemic.”

⇨ The Keyword, Sundar Pichai, “A hybrid approach to work.”

2021-05-06