Google postponed the return of most employees to the office until mid-October and introduced a policy that once its huge campus is completely reopened, it will eventually require everyone to be vaccinated in an attempt to combat the spreading Delta variant.
In an email sent to Google’s more than 130,000 employees on Wednesday, CEO Sundar Pichai stated that the company’s current goal is to have most employees return to the office starting on October 18, rather than the previous target date of September 1. . This decision also affects Google’s intention to continue to pay tens of thousands of contractors, while access to its campus is still limited.
“This expansion will give us time to start working again, while providing flexibility for those who need it,” Pichai wrote.
Pichai also revealed that once the office is completely reopened, everyone working there will be vaccinated. The requirement will first be implemented at Google’s headquarters and other U.S. offices in Mountain View, California, and then expanded to more than 40 other countries/regions where the company operates.
Picashi wrote that vaccine authorization will be adjusted according to the laws and regulatory agencies of each location, and there will be exceptions for medical and other “protected” reasons.
Google’s decision to extend its remote work was made after another technology giant, Apple, took a similar move, which recently moved its return to the office plan from September to October.
Apple and Google’s delays may affect other major employers to take similar precautions, as the technology industry has been at the forefront of the shift in remote work triggered by the spread of the new coronavirus.
Even before the World Health Organization announced a pandemic in March 2020, Google, Apple, and many other well-known technology companies had told their employees to work from home. This marks the third time that Google has postponed the date to fully reopen its offices.
Google’s vaccine requirements may also encourage other employers to issue similar directives to prevent the outbreak of the Delta variant and minimize the need to wear masks in the office.
Although most companies plan to bring their employees back at least a few days a week, other companies in the technology industry have decided to let their employees work in remote areas permanently.
Several other large employers in the United States have also announced vaccine requirements for their employees.
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