Google Says It Won't Follow Amazon's Lead With a Return-to-Office Mandate — Yet In a town hall, Google leaders told staff the current hybrid plan will stay in place.
By Erin Davis
Key Takeaways
- Google won't be mandating a strict return-to-office plan, according to company leaders.
- Employees at the tech giant were concerned about losing their hybrid work schedule after Amazon mandated that staff return to the office five days a week.
In a town hall last month, Google brass assured staffers that the company wouldn't follow Amazon's lead and mandate that employees return to the office five days a week, per Business Insider.
Related: Amazon CEO Mandates Employees Work in the Office 5 Days Per Week Starting January
At Google's most recent "TGIF" (Thank God It's Friday) monthly meeting, where employees submit questions, the most submitted query was reportedly for Google to recommit to its hybrid work policy in light of Amazon's new mandate.
Last month, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced that all corporate employees are expected to be in the office five days a week starting in January. Salesforce also returned to a mostly five-day-a-week in-office schedule effective October 1.
Google's current policy, meanwhile, is for employees to be in the office "at least" three days a week.
A Google VP reportedly told employees at the town hall that the current system was working and changes were not expected.
Although this goes against the trend of large tech companies enforcing stricter RTO rules, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai noted the policy will stay flexible as long as staff remains productive during remote days.
A Google spokesperson confirmed these comments were made but provided no further context, per Business Insider.
Related: Samsung Makes 6-Day Workweeks Mandatory for Executives as the Company Enters 'Emergency Mode'
