Over a year after Google tried to lure its workforce back to the office with a discounted rate at its on-campus hotel, the tech company is now making a complete about-face on its remote work policy for some employees. CNBC is reporting that workers in Google’s Google’s Technical Services and People Operations (Human Resources) divisions were informed late last week that they will be required to return to the office at least three days a week. Those within the Technical Services division were told to return to office or take a voluntary exit package, echoing the buyout offer made by the company earlier this year.
Employees within the People Operations team that live within 50 miles of a Google office, per an internal memo, are required to return to a hybrid schedule by June, or have their role eliminated. This turnabout comes shortly after Google cofounder Sergey Brin was reported as saying in a company meeting that Google engineers should get ready to work 60 hours a week in-office in order to compete in the mounting AI arms race.
The following was originally published August 9, 2023:
Google’s latest effort to get workers back to the office is raising some eyebrows. The tech company is offering a special deal for employees at their on-campus hotel. CNBC reports that Google is advertising a $99 nightly rate for employees, which they are calling a “Summer Special,” to “make it easier for Googlers to transition to the hybrid workplace.”
The description further states, “Just imagine no commute to the office in the morning and instead, you could have an extra hour of sleep and less friction. Next, you could walk out of your room and quickly grab a delicious breakfast or get a workout in before work starts.”
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Some employees have been quick to mock the offer on Google’s internal discussion forums, with one stating “Now I can give some of my pay back to Google,” and others noting that a $99 a night rate, which is not reimbursed by the company, is $3000 a month, or about the average monthly rate for renting an apartment in the area. Another commented, “If it was around $60 a night, that could be a fine-ish alternative to apartments, but $99? No thanks.”
Google has been trying its best to mandate in-office work since bringing the majority of its employees back to mandatory three days a week in office last year. CNBC reports that attendance has been lacking as of late, due to the high cost of living in the area, as well as reports of increased productivity while working from home.
