Google is returning workers to Silicon Valley, other offices from April 4

The Google LLC logo appears in their office in Manhattan, New York City, New York, US, November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

Oakland, Calif., March 2 (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL.O) From April 4, Google will require employees to come back about three days a week at some of its offices in the US, UK and Asia Pacific, the first step to ending policies that allowed remote work due to COVID-19 concerns.

An internal email seen by Reuters on Wednesday told employees in the San Francisco Bay Area that “Advances in prevention and treatment, the steady decline in cases we continue to see and the improved safety measures we’ve implemented… now mean we can officially start moving into the work week.” hybrid”.

Google is joining a wave of tech and finance companies that have begun issuing a mandate to return to the position. While some large employers have permanently embraced volunteering from home policies, others including Google are betting that it’s best to push in-person interactions between colleagues.

Google expects most employees to be in offices about three days a week, with some variation by team and role.

Everyone coming into the office should be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or receive an approved exemption, according to the email from John Casey, Google’s vice president of global benefits. Unvaccinated workers without exception will be given the option to search for one or apply for permanent remote work.

Casey said fully vaccinated workers will not have to wear masks in Bay Area offices.

Google declined to say which sites will return to normal on April 4, pending official announcements by workers at those sites.

Google said that employees who are not ready to return on April 4 can also seek an extension to work remotely.

Casey said that since last June, Google has approved nearly 14,000 employees globally to move to a new location or move away entirely. He added that about 15% of applications were rejected.

Google has largely taken back office perks like free meals, massages, and transportation. But while business and meeting visitors are allowed, employees cannot yet bring their families or children back for dinner or visit them.

(Reporting by Parrish Dave) Editing by Kizu Nomiyama, Bernard Orr

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