Say goodbye to remote work: Google and Amazon ask their employees to return to offices

A good year ago, companies started implementing remote working as a precautionary measure amid a pandemic that was starting to hit the world. IT giants like Google, Facebook and Twitter were among the first to take the initiative of a movement which today, in much of the world, seems to have consolidated, especially since a new wave is underway and many governments have returned to establish themselves. movement restrictions.

Despite this, some of these companies that once hoisted the banner of the home office and seemed already established in this modality, now seek to reverse this situation and push their employees to return to work face-to-face. Google, for example, said on Wednesday it would speed up plans to reopen offices. in April for those who volunteer before the September 1 deadline.

After this date, employees who wish to work remotely for more than 14 days per year must make a formal request.. They can ask for up to 12 months in “the most exceptional circumstances”. Still, the company could call employees from their assigned office at any time, according to company statements released by CNBC. The computer giant is advising employees to get vaccinated, but said it wouldn’t be mandatory.

Amazon, for its part, said on Tuesday that its goal was to return to “a culture centered on the desktop.” We believe this allows us to invent, collaborate and learn together in the most effective way ”. In this sense, the idea is that most of its employees return to the offices in September.

These decisions are in line with the office expansion announcements the two companies have made recently. The Seattle-based company led by Jeff Bezos in August signed a lease for a multi-story tower in Bellevue, Wash., And in February unveiled plans to develop a new helix-shaped headquarters, to be built in Arlington. , Virginia, by 2025.

For its part, Google has revealed that it will invest $ 7 billion to create more offices and data centers across the country this year.. In addition, the company would hire at least 10,000 new employees in 2021.

What about the rest of the tech giants

Other companies adopt different philosophies. Some continue to implement remote work, as is the case with Twitter which announced a few months ago that it allows its employees to work from home indefinitely and, as of now, has not made any new announcements on the matter.

IBM, for its part, recently told Bloomberg that 80% of employees would likely continue to perform tasks in a hybrid context., that is to say on certain days of presence and others of remote work. In that sense, after the pandemic, most will spend about three days a week in the office.

The company, headed by Mark Zuckerberg, announced a few weeks ago that its headquarters in Menlo Park would open in May and Microsoft again implemented face-to-face work on March 29 in countries with the number of infections. decreased.

Other companies like Uber already allow a limited number of employees to return to their offices in San Francisco, United States.

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