Google has recently declared that in-office attendance would be taken into account during employee performance assessments. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Sundar Pichai-led corporation would also send reminders to employees who are absent frequently, pushing them to return to work.
Google revised its hybrid work policy in March, requiring employees to be physically present in the workplace at least three days each week. Chief People Officer Fiona Cicconi announced in a company-wide email that the full work-from-home option will only be available to a small group of staff. She revealed the rationale for the push for work from home by writing, “There’s just no substitute for coming together in person.”
Cicconi stated in the email, “We’ve heard from Googlers that those who spend at least three days a week in the office feel more connected to other Googlers, and that this effect is amplified when teammates work from the same location.” Of course, not everyone believes in’magical hallway discussions,’ but there’s no denying that they work.
She also disclosed that many of the innovations launched at the recent Google I/O 2023 conference were the result of in-person collaboration. She stated that there may be times when staff are unable to work from the office. Consider the bad air quality in Canada as a result of hundreds of wildfires.
“Of course, there will be times when you will be unable to come to the office, such as this week’s air quality control warning in Canada and the United States East Coast—we always want you to look after yourself and take care of your health,” she wrote.
Amazon, like Google, is encouraging staff to return to work. Around 2,000 Amazon employees recently organised a walkout in protest of work-from-home rules, mass layoffs, and climate change.
