The COVID-19 pandemic sure isn’t over, but thanks to worldwide vaccination efforts, a “normal” life is looking increasingly possible — and lots of people are sure eager to move on from a very chaotic couple of years. That includes Google management, and if you’re a Googler who’s already used to remote work, we have some bad news: Employees working from home across the Bay Area have to come back to their in-person offices starting on April 4th, with other locations across the US following soon thereafter.
As reported by CNBC, Google will end the voluntary work-from-home period next month and have employees transition to a “hybrid” routine. The company expects most workers to split between three days of in-person work and two days of operating remotely.
Google’s VP of global benefits, John Casey, told workers in an email, “the advances in prevention and treatment, the steady decline in cases that we continue to see, and the improved safety measures we have implemented across our Bay Area sites now mean we can officially begin the transition to the hybrid work week.” Similarly, other offices across the country, and elsewhere, will follow suit based on local conditions.
This new measure comes hot on the hells of the company starting to relax its COVID-19 guidelines for people working in-person. Employees who are fully vaccinated are not required to wear masks or test regularly, and the company has also reopened amenities like restaurants and cafés. The vaccination requirement is staying — you’ll still need to either be fully vaccinated before you enter physical Google offices, or have an approved accommodation.
Over the next few weeks, the company’s benefits team will help fully remote workers transition to this new, hybrid modality. Googlers who are not able to immediately come back into their offices can request an extension to their work-from-home period while they prepare. Anyone feeling particularly gung-ho can work in-person more frequently if they like, and some roles may require more than three days a week on site, depending on the nature of the job.
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