Google is looking at long-term workas most of its employees say they don't want to return to the office.
62% of Google employees want to return to their offices at some point, but not every day, according to a recent survey of employee preferences in the office, released this week.
So the company is working on “hybrid” models, including rearranging its offices and finding longer-term remote work options, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in an interview with Time magazine on Wednesday.
“I see the future as more flexible. We strongly believe that with contact, being together, having a sense of community is extremely important when you have to solve hard problems and create something new, so we don’t see that changing. But we believe we need to create more flexibility and more hybrid work models.”
The long-term plan comes as Google, which has been touted as a model for Silicon Valley workplaces, slowly reveals more details about its plans to get its employees back to the office, while also competing with other tech for top talent. Earlier this summer, the company gave employees the option to work from home until July 2021, amid the global pandemic. It comes as Facebook announced a similar timeline, with other companies, such as Twitter, saying employees can work remotely “forever.”
Google began preparing early for the pandemic and has recently made changes, including to its internal communication forums. However, employees have lost office perks like food deals and personal chefs.
10% of the company's employees said they don't want to go to the office at all in the future, according to a recent survey. 15% said they would only like to come into the office "ad hoc" or for specific events.
Employees' reasons for returning to the office included time with colleagues, the ability to socialize, and better collaboration, according to CNBC.
