Although the life during the pandemic era is gradually fading away, the habit of working from home has continued in many companies. Many tech companies once viewed remote work as a way to enhance employee satisfaction and flexibility, and even institutionalized it. However, this "remote freedom" is being re-examined. Recently, Google has been exposed to issue ultimatums to some remote employees - if they do not come to the office at least three days a week, they may face layoffs or even termination.

Internal documents leaked recently show that the tech giant Google has begun issuing ultimatums to some remote employees: if they do not come to the office at least three days a week, they will face dismissal or be required to voluntarily resign. This move marks Google's further tightening of its "return to the office" policy and is also part of its broader cost-cutting efforts and reshaping of operational models.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Google has notified employees within a 50-mile (about 80-kilometer) radius of its office locations that they are required to come to the office in person at least three days a week. Those who violate this rule will be considered non-compliant with company policies and may ultimately face termination.

CNBC obtained internal documents showing that this new regulation involves several key departments of Google, including the technical services department and the human resources operations department. The company is clearly conveying this mandatory return requirement to employees through emails and meetings.

If employees wish to remain with the company but cannot accept the return-to-office requirements, Google offers two options:

  • Voluntary Exit Packages
  • Relocation Assistance

In a statement, company spokesperson Courtenay Mencini stated: "As we have emphasized before, face-to-face collaboration is an indispensable part of Google's innovative culture and solving complex problems."

Google has multiple important office locations in the California Bay Area, including San Francisco, San Jose, Sunnyvale, and San Bruno, with its headquarters located in Mountain View. This policy tightening affects employees across all these regions.

This change also coincides with Google's significant resource allocation to artificial intelligence (AI) and infrastructure construction fields. The company is implementing more extensive resource integration and cost control measures to cope with intensified global competition and changes in market conditions.

After massive layoffs in 2023, Google continues targeted departmental layoffs this year. Data shows that by the end of 2024, Google's global employee total has decreased to approximately 183,000, down from about 190,000 two years ago.

During the pandemic, Google once promoted remote flexible work, allowing a large number of employees to work remotely long-term. However, as the economic situation changed, the company gradually tightened its flexible work policies and began to focus on performance, productivity, and team collaboration again.

In February, Sergey Brin, one of Google's co-founders, sent an internal memo to the AI team emphasizing the urgency of current company tasks. He called on AI team members to "work five days a week in the office" and bluntly stated:

"Working 60 hours a week is key to achieving our optimal productivity."

Brin's remarks were seen as a public reaffirmation of Google's "intensive face-to-face office culture" and showed the strong intention of senior management to improve overall execution capabilities.

Google's actions are not isolated cases. Many large tech companies, such as IBM, are also gradually canceling remote work policies implemented during the pandemic, requiring employees to spend more time in the office. Companies generally cite "enhancing cooperation," "improving innovation efficiency," and "promoting team culture" as their main reasons.

Although industry research reports indicate that productivity for many companies did not decline, and may have even increased during remote work, tech giants clearly prefer centralized office work to meet the higher demands for rapid collaboration and execution in the AI era.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7497326715023180288/

Disclaimer: This article solely represents the author's personal views. Please express your attitude by clicking the 'Agree' or 'Disagree' button below.