Google Delays Mandatory Office Return to 2022 on Covid Surge

(Bloomberg) -- Google pushed back the date when its employees must return to the office until after Jan. 10, citing uncertainty related to the pandemic amid a resurgence of Covid-19 cases in various countries around the world.

It will be optional for Google’s staffers to work on campus until at least Jan. 10, Alphabet Inc. Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai wrote Tuesday in a memo to employees. The company will give workers 30 days notice before they’re expected to go back to offices, but Pichai didn’t specify a date when employees, based in the U.S. or elsewhere, must return. 

“Beyond January 10, we will enable countries and locations to make determinations on when to end voluntary work-from-home based on local conditions, which vary greatly across our offices,” Pichai wrote. 

Google previously delayed a compulsory office return to Oct. 18. The internet giant has said it will ask employees to work in a “hybrid” model, with about 60% going back to the same offices as before the pandemic. In August, Google approved 85% of employee requests to work remotely or relocate once the company’s offices fully reopen.

Google’s decision to delay its return-to-office plan again is similar to the actions taken by other major technology companies. Facebook Inc. recently told U.S. employees they don’t need to go back to offices until January, and Apple Inc. has also pushed back its plans. 

“The road ahead may be a little longer and bumpier than we hoped, yet I remain optimistic that we will get through it together,” Pichai wrote.