Can't afford trips: Google Maps workers resist return-to-office plans

Contract employees at Google Maps who were required to return to their office in Washington State recently filed a petition to keep working from home. The workers said that some of them cannot afford their commutes, presenting another challenge to Google's plan to fill their offices and restore campus life. 

This issue would affect more than 200 workers who are employed by the outsourcing firm Cognizant Technology Solutions, which mandated that they work in an office in Bothell 5 days a week starting on June 6th. These workers play an essential role in updating routes and destinations on Google Maps, a service that is used by more than one billion people a month.

Around 60% of the 200 workers have already signed the petition. They have demanded that the managers suspend the return-to-office timeline and first address the employees' financial, health and childcare concerns. The employees wrote, "Gas is around $5 per gallon currently, and many of us in the office are not able to afford to live close to the office due to our low salaries and the high cost of housing in Bothell."

Source: The New York Times