Google to demand vaccinations as Silicon Valley rethinks return-to-office policies

Google CEO Sundar Pichai told employees on Wednesday the company would require vaccinations for employees working on company campuses, a move that comes as the highly contagious delta variant of the COVID-19 virus spreads worldwide. The policy will begin in the United States and expand to other regions in the coming months.

Pichai also postponed the company’s mandatory return to power until October 18, pushing back the date of an earlier September target.

“Getting the vaccine is one of the most important ways to keep ourselves and our communities healthy in the months to come,” Pichai wrote in an email to employees. “I know that many of you continue to face very difficult circumstances related to the pandemic.”

Pichai said the policy would be implemented based on local conditions and that he would share tips and exceptions for people who cannot get vaccinated for medical or other reasons.

The announcement comes as regions around the world have seen coronavirus cases increase due to the delta variant. In California, Google’s home state, some counties have made masks again mandatory for people meeting indoors.

Google isn’t alone in re-evaluating its return-to-work protocols due to the latest wave of the pandemic. Apple announced last week that it would also postpone its return to office date by one month. More than half of Apple stores will require customers and employees to wear masks, regardless of their immunization status, starting Wednesday, according to Bloomberg.

Facebook also said on Wednesday that it would demand that workers at its U.S. campuses be vaccinated. Netflix will require vaccinations for casts of its US productions, Deadline reported. Twitter announced that it was closing the company’s open offices in New York and San Francisco and suspend future reopening of offices. The company said the office closures are temporary but it does not have a new schedule for reopening. “We continue to closely monitor local conditions and make necessary changes that prioritize the health and safety of our Tweeps,” a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement.

Uber also pushed back its return to power date to October 25 on Thursday, a delay from its original September target. In an internal employee memo, which an Uber representative shared with CNET, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi added that “local circumstances will continue to dictate when it makes sense to bring employees back to a given city” and that some offices will remain open for employees. to enter voluntarily, if local health guidelines permit. Uber will also require employees to be fully vaccinated to enter the office, starting with the United States before expanding to other countries. In addition, all Uber employees around the world are now required to wear masks if they are in the office.

Google’s return-to-office policies have caused major tensions among employees at the tech giant, who have complained that the rules are being applied unevenly. Earlier this month, CNET reported that Urs Hölzle, one of Google’s oldest and longest-running executives, told employees he would be working remotely from New Zealand. The announcement angered lower-level workers who called the relocation “hypocritical” because they said it had in the past been unfavorable or remote work.

CNET’s Queenie Wong and Abrar Al-Heeti contributed to this report.