Google has announced that they will continue to practice caution by extending work-from-home measures until summer 2021. Initially, the multinational technology company was expecting to bring employees back in January however growing concerns about the Coronavirus have caused further delay.
What We Know:
- Google’s plans to keep employees working until June 2021 are in response to uncertainties regarding the future given the pandemic. Their new plan of action will make Google the first major company to push work-from-home measures back so drastically.
- The extension will likely cause other major giants in the industry to also consider elongating work-from-home measures. Companies like Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft will likely follow suit.
- Though Google has seen a decrease in productivity levels amongst staff, the company is choosing to err on the side of caution. Ultimately, setting the precedent that the safety of the employees is most important.
“To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we are extending our global voluntary work from home option through June 30, 2021, for roles that don’t need to be in the office…” – Sundar Pichai (Google CEO)
- Though Google is leading the conversation regarding extensions, companies like Twitter and Square have announced that their employees can continue working from home permanently. As the world continues to advance digitally, working from home may become a new normal.
Google’s work-from-home policy will surely propel other companies to extend safety measures. The policy and others like it present the reality of indefinite remote working.
