3 days in the office & 2 days wherever they work best: Google announces Hybrid Work Model

Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, in an email to the employees, announced that the company is testing new multi-purpose offices and private workspaces equipped with advanced video technology to help staff work with greater flexibility when they return to the office. Pichai wrote an email to his employees, which the company later shared as a blog post, to inform them of the new changes. He indicated in the new hybrid work-week employees will spend approximately three days in the office and two days wherever they work best.

“It’s heartbreaking to see COVID surging in places like India, Brazil, and many others around the world. If you live in one of these places, please focus on taking care of yourselves and your loved ones right now. We are here to support however we can,ˮ Pichai said. Where conditions are less dire, the company has been able to reopen offices in a voluntary capacity.

“We’ve seen nearly 60% of Googlers choosing to come back to the office,ˮ he detailed. About 20% of Google’s workforce will continue to work remotely after its offices reopen later this year. About 60% of its employees will come together in the office for a few days a week, Pichai said.

During the Q1, Alphabet saved $268 million in expenses from company promotions, travel and entertainment, as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown. More people working from home will mean better savings.

Read More: Big Tech report blockbuster quarterly results despite COVID-19

A more flexible work-week at Google

“We’ll move to a hybrid work week where most Googlers spend approximately three days in the office and two days wherever they work best. Since in-office time will be focused on collaboration, your product areas and functions will help decide which days teams will come together in the office. There will also be roles that may need to be on-site more than three days a week due to the nature of the work,ˮ Pichai added. “We’ll also offer opportunities for you to apply for completely remote work (away from your team or office) based on your role and team needs. You’ll be able to apply for remote work within your product area or function. ˮ

Google employees can also choose to work from anywhere other than their main office for up to 4 weeks a year. Their managers must approve such requests. The company added that this will provide employees more flexibility around summer and holiday travel. As for a company holiday, Google announced that it will offer extra reset days to help employees recharge during the pandemic in 2021. “Our next global day off will be on Friday, May 28 (or the following workday if you’re already not working on the 28th),ˮ it said in the blog post.