News: Google to move to hybrid workplace model

Culture

Google to move to hybrid workplace model

This would result in result in a workforce where around 60% of Googlers are coming together in the office a few days a week, another 20% are working in new office locations, and 20% are working from home.
Google to move to hybrid workplace model

Signaling a move towards a hybrid workplace model, in an email sent to employees, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai said the company will move to a hybrid work week where most Googlers spend approximately three days in the office and two days wherever they work best. 

This would result in result in a workforce where around 60% of Googlers are coming together in the office a few days a week, another 20% are working in new office locations, and 20% are working from home.

Pichai further added, “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.”

The idea, as per the tech giant, is to give everyone more flexibility in life and more choice around whether they work.

When it comes to flexibility, the following initiatives are on the cards-

• Work-from-anywhere weeks: Going forward, Googlers will be able to temporarily work from a location other than their main office for up to 4 weeks per year (with manager approval). The goal here is to give everyone more flexibility around summer and holiday travel. 

• Focus time: Product areas and functions will also offer focus hours so we limit internal meetings during times when people need to be heads down on projects.

• Reset days: We’ll continue offering 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). Please enjoy it!

The move comes as Pichai believes that the future of work is flexibility and the changes above are a starting point to help its employees do their very best work and have fun doing it. As economies begin to open up in places where the pandemic is not raging, hybrid work is becoming a model of choice for organizations.

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Topics: Culture, Employee Engagement

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