Google tells some remote workers to return to the office or risk losing jobs

Google has warned remote workers will need to return to the office or else lose their jobs, according to reports.

Internal documents viewed by CNBC show the tech giant has informed staff at several units across the company that roles could be at risk unless they switch to a hybrid working setup.

This, the reports suggest, will require those within a certain proximity to Google office to come in at least three days a week. The move comes despite affected workers having previously been approved for fully-remote working practices, documents show.

A spokesperson for Google told CNBC that the company’s push to get remote workers back into the office are focused on specific individual teams and do not represent a blanket policy.

“As we’ve said before, in-person collaboration is an important part of how we innovate and solve complex problems,” the spokesperson said. “

“To support this, some teams have asked remote employees that live near an office to return to in-person work three days a week.”

ITPro has contacted Google for clarification on the policy.

Google is clawing staff back to the office

Documents viewed by CNBC showed employees in the company’s technical services unit were told to shift to a hybrid working schedule, with remote employees being offered paid relocation expenses to move within 50 miles of an office.

Others have been offered a voluntary exit package.

The same policy applies to its ‘People Operations’ division, according to an internal memo. Again, those living within 50 miles of an office were warned they must switch to a hybrid setup or their role could be eliminated.

This isn’t the first time Google has attempted to buy out employees in recent months.

At the beginning of the year, the tech giant began offering voluntary buyouts to staff, with remote workers specifically told this would be their only option unless they returned to the office three days a week.

RTO mandates have become a battleground for big tech

Google isn’t alone in pressing staff to make a return to the office, either - even in a hybrid capacity. The rise of ‘RTO mandates’ has become a contentious topic in the tech sector, with a number of firms having clashed with staff over the shift back to a more regimented in-office approach.

Dell Technologies, for example, saw staff push back against plans to implement a full return to the office. In July last year, an internal staff survey at the tech giant showed employee satisfaction had dipped significantly due to the policy.

Notably, Dell initially told remote staff that any refusal to switch to a hybrid setup could result in them losing out on promotions or opportunities at the company.

Elsewhere, Amazon has taken a stern approach with its own RTO mandate. First announced in September last year, CEO Andy Jassy told staff it was switching back to a five-day week.

The policy change once again prompted a backlash among staff, with an internal staff survey showing a huge volume of complaints.

Google hasn’t adopted as rigid an approach as industry counterparts on the matter, however. The company has gone to some lengths to encourage staff back into offices across the US, and in 2023 even offered discounted rooms at its Mountain View campus hotel.

At the time, the company said the move would give staff “an extra hour of sleep” and “less friction” getting to the office.

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