Google postpones mandatory return to power until January 2022

Google is once again delaying its return to work in person. CEO Sundar Pichai told employees the company is delaying the mandatory return to power until January 2022. The current voluntary program will last until January 10. From that point on, Google offices will decide when (and if) to make office work mandatory. Staff will be notified 30 days in advance if they need to attend.

The internet pioneer previously hoped to institute a hybrid workweek on Oct. 18, with staff coming three out of five days. This, in turn, was later than the originally planned return in September.

The reasoning behind the delay is not surprising. The resumption of the COVID-19 pandemic, and therefore the return to the offices, has been “longer and more bumpy than expected,” according to Pichai. In other words, factors such as the Delta variant of the virus, vaccination rates and different levels of cases have clouded the situation – what works well in one country could be dangerous in another.

Not that Google will take any risks anyway. The company now requires a full vaccination for every employee returning to the office, voluntary or not. Google may be impatient to see people fill its rooms, but it also doesn’t want security issues or finicky employees. It’s not the only one, either – other tech companies like Apple have delayed their own plans to return to the office as the realities of the pandemic become clearer.