Google is getting ready to transition from a voluntary work-from-home period to a hybrid work model that will see most employees report to its Seattle and Kirkland, Wash., offices three days a week.
As more companies announce plans for how and where employees will work after two years of COVID-19-induced office closures, Google said Wednesday it plans to use the month of March to help employees transition to new routines.
Workers should “aim to be fully functional in our hybrid working approach by April 4,” a spokesperson said.
Google said employees can work more from the office if they desire, and some roles may need to be onsite more than three days a week due to the nature of their work.
Google was the first Silicon Valley tech company to establish an engineering outpost in the Seattle area in 2004. More than 100 out-of-town companies now have satellite offices in the region.
Google now has more than 7,000 employees across Seattle and on the other side of Lake Washington in Kirkland. It’s hardly an outpost anymore and is the company’s largest engineering operation, in the U.S., away from its Mountain View, Calif., home.
The hybrid work week approach was inspired by employee feedback and is “designed to maximize flexibility while still facilitating innovation, collaboration and camaraderie of in-office experiences.”
Google said that since launching a new work location tool last June, nearly 14,000 employees around the world have transferred to new locations or moved to fully remote work — with about 85% of total applications approved.
The company is requiring anyone who works on its campuses to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.