Google's return to office policies delayed due to Omicron

In August 2021 tech-giant Google announced that it expects all its employees to return to office by January 10th, 2022 at the earliest subject to local conditions. The company was all set to slash its voluntary remote working facilities permanently. However, in light of the recent concerns pertaining to the Omicron variant of covid, Google announced that the employees will not be required to come to the office by January 10th. 

"Beyond January 10, we will enable countries and locations to make determinations on when to end voluntary work-from-home based on local conditions, which vary greatly across our offices," said Google CEO Sundar Pichai. He also mentioned that in order to give everyone ample time to prepare, the employees will be given a 30-day heads up before they have to return to the office. This goes to show that the arrival of Omicron in the US is concerning enough for large companies like Google to delay their return to office plans and stick to the hybrid work schedule. As of now, Google employees come to the office on a voluntary basis. The company has opened approximately 90% of its offices in the US. 

Not just Google, the return to office dates for many companies have been pushed multiple times over the last year due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic. Employers who aimed at opening up in September have pushed the idea to 2022. Earlier in October, banking company Capital One pushed its return to office dates from November 2nd to a much later date. According to experts, many other companies are expected to follow suit. 

Source: CBS News