Google, Inc. CEO, Sundar Pichai has told the company’s employees on Tuesday that the company is targeting July 6th to reopen offices for workers that want to come back in person. The return is expected to be a gradual one which will start at about 10% building capacity according to the company’s chief executive and by September, the company is aims to have ramp up to 30% of its office capacity.
So for employees who prefers to work from home, the company will allow them to expense up to US$1,000 for equipment and furniture such as sanding desks and ergonomic chairs.
The search giant has been very vocal about employees returning to the workplace while other tech companies have touted permanent telecommuting options. Sundar Pichai remarks to Google’s staffs came days after Facebook‘s Zuckerberg said the social networking company will allow some of its workforce to work from home permanently.
He said that half of Facebook’s workforce could work remotely over the next five to ten years. Twitter is another tech giant that did something similar and announced it’s own plans earlier this month. The company’s CEO, Jack Dorsey also extend the policy to his other company, Square, a Mobile-payment firm.
The discussion of remote-working policies underscores how the world’s largest tech companies are reevaluating their approach to business right after the coronavirus pandemic which has forced numerous businesses to lock down across the globe. Pichai had previously said most employees will work remotely for the rest of 2020.
Google is currently trying to expand its offices as well as add up major additions to its already sprawling headquarters in Mountain View, California. The company is also investing in building a really large campus in San Jose, California as well as renovate building in New York City.
Pichai told Wired last week that remote working won’t impact those projects. “In all scenarios I expect us to need physical spaces to get people together, absolutely. We have a lot of growth planned ahead,” he said. “So even if there is some course correction, I don’t think our existing footprint is going to be the issue.”
