Google today told employees that they will need to return to their physical offices starting on Monday, April 4, reports CNBC. This will apply to employees located in the Bay Area, which is where Google has a Mountain View-based main campus, along with employees in other locations around the United States.
Santa Clara County,t where Google and Apple are located, has been lifting Covid-related restrictions as infection rates have significantly dropped, and the indoor mask mandate in the area ended today, paving the way for Google to ask workers to return.
With cases dropping and Google calling employees back to the office, there's a chance that Apple is going to follow in the near future. Apple has been eager to get employees back to 1 Infinite Loop, Apple Park, and other offices in the Bay Area, but it has had to push back return dates several times now.
Back in November, Apple told employees that it wanted them to return to their offices starting in February, but with the Omicron surge in December, Apple delayed the return indefinitely.
Apple has promised to give employees at least one month notice before they are required to go back to work, and Apple is also implementing a hybrid work schedule. Employees will be expected to be in the office three days a week, but will have the option of working from home for two days a week. Apple also plans to allow employees to work remotely for up to one month per year, giving them more time to travel and be closer to loved ones.
Over the past two years, tech company employees have become used to working from home, and there has been pushback from Apple workers who do not want to do their jobs in person, especially as the company has successfully launched products, services, and software updates with most people working remotely. Employees sent letters to Apple pleading for the ability to work from home on a permanent basis, but Apple is a proponent for in-person collaboration.
Back in June, Apple CEO Tim Cook said there are things that video conferencing is unable to replicate. "For all that we've been able to achieve while many of us have been separated, the truth is that there has been something essential missing from this past year: each other," he said in a memo.
Like Apple, Google plans to have employees transition back to work using a hybrid schedule. Most workers will be expected to come into the office for three days a week, with two days available to work remotely. Google is also letting some employees work from home on a permanent basis.
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