Alphabet, Google’s parent company, will have almost all of its 200,000 full-time and contract employees work from home until summer 2021 (via Wall Street Journal). CEO Sundar Pichai told staff he hoped the decision will provide “the flexibility you need to balance work with taking care of yourselves and your loved ones over the next 12 months.”
Twelve More Months Working From Home For Google Staff
The policy applies not just to U.S. offices, including the Mountain View HQ, but offices in the UK, India, and Brazil, amongst others. In a memo to staff, Mr. Pichai acknowledged “it hasn’t been easy,” for staff. “We are still learning a lot from our experiences of working from home and will use that knowledge to inform our approach to the future of work at Google.”
The approach from Alphabet is in contrast to the timelines currently laid out by other big tech firms. Many are aiming to have staff return in January. Some Apple staff started returning in May. They are being offered COVID-19 tests and temperature checks are mandatory.