The covid pandemic didn’t just sweep across the globe as an airborne virus, it swept aside some longstanding traditions in employment practices, redefining them, perhaps irrevocably, in its wake.
One of the most frustratingly (certainly for employers) stubborn repercussions of the global pandemic is the seeming refusal of workers to return to the office full-time. Having gotten used to working from home for such a prolonged period, they seem loath to give up that newfound flexibility and return to the cubicles of office work. Indeed, such is the situation now that some former busy office spaces are now becoming empty spaces as workers opt to work remotely from home.
Several high-profile companies have tried various enticements to encourage their workforce back into the daily commute, without any real significant success. But Google has decided to go that extra mile and actively facilitate their employees in a new purpose-built residency wherein they are hoping employees can stay for up to at least three days per week rather than make the journey to and from the office every weekday.
Against this reciprocal gestures are two factors; one is the implicitly-threatening new stated policy from Google that all employees must – not may, must – work from the office for at least the three aforementioned days per week, with attendance tracked via office badges and directly linked to performance reviews; the second factor is that employees wishing to take up Google’s offer of residency over three days will have to do so out of their own pocket, $99 per night, a ‘special’ rate that is due to expire on September 30.
Has it been a success? Well in typical Google fashion, there are no hard facts and figures forthcoming from the tech giant, but undoubtedly other major employers will be keeping a close eye on the results as they themselves aim to change the new tradition of non-commutation causing uncertainty within employer circles.
