Google extends work from home option until January 2022 due to COVID surge

Seems like Google is not too keen on bringing its employees back to office amid COVID uncertainty. Earlier, the company had asked its employees to resume work from the office by October 2021. However, in a letter to employees, chief executive Sundar Pichai said on Tuesday that the company has extended work from home option until January 2022 due to the surge in COVID delta variant cases. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been a humbling challenge for all of us and I continue to be impressed by the way our teams are navigating through it. In spite of these challenges, I’m happy to say that a large number of offices globally are already open for business, and we are welcoming back tens of thousands of Googlers on a voluntary basis. Given that conditions around the world are still highly variable, I wanted to share how we’re planning to approach the next few months,” Pichai said. 

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Based on the local condition, the company will end voluntary work-from-home from January 10. He said that the employees will be given a heads up a month before they are expected to return to office. 

Earlier this month, Facebook too announced that it has extended work from home until January 2022. 

“Data, not dates, is what drives our approach for returning to the office. Given the recent health data showing rising COVID cases based on the delta variant, our teams in the U.S. will not be required to go back to the office until January 2022. We expect this to be the case for some countries outside the US, as well. We continue to monitor the situation and work with experts to ensure our return to office plans prioritize everyone’s safety,” Facebook said in a statement to CNBC. 

Also Read: After shortage of hospital beds and staff, US states run low on oxygen

Both the companies had announced in July that their employees are required to get vaccinated against COVID before coming to office.