What you need to know
- Google plans to open its offices in several cities starting July 6.
- By September, Google hopes to increase occupancy at its offices from 10 percent to 30 percent.
- It has also announced a $1,000 stipend for employees to buy equipment and furniture for working from home.
In early March, Google instructed its workforce across the globe to start working from home amid coronavirus fears. Roughly three months later, the company has decided to reopen its offices with a gradual, phased approach.
Starting July 6, Google will open its office buildings in various cities, giving a small number of its employees "the opportunity to return on a limited, rotating basis." To ensure the safety of its employees, Google will have strict health and safety measures in place at its offices and aim for roughly 10 percent building occupancy.
The rotation program is expected to be further scaled by September, with an increase in building occupancy to 30 percent. While returning to the office will be voluntary for the vast majority of Google employees till the end of the year, those whose roles require a physical workspace will be notified by June 10.
In an email sent to Google employees, Sundai Pichai wrote:
Our campuses are designed to enable collaboration and community—in fact, some of our greatest innovations were the result of chance encounters in the office—and it's clear this is something many of us don't want to lose.
Since most Google employees will be working from home for the rest of the year, they will be given an allowance of $1,000 to buy equipment and office furniture to make it easier for them to work remotely.
While some tech giants like Facebook have announced that they will allow their employees to work from home indefinitely, Google CEO Sundar Pichai told the folks at Wired recently that the company has no plans of going entirely remote.
