May 26, 2020 - Technology

Google to open offices July 6 for 10% of workers

Ina Fried

A photo of the exterior of Google's office in New York City. — Photo: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images

Google aims to partially reopen its offices July 6 for up to 10% of its workers, with plans to boost that to about 30% of capacity by September, according to a memo CEO Sundar Pichai sent to employees Tuesday.

Why it matters: As we've reported, most large tech companies are in no rush to return their workers to the office on a large scale. However, many are preparing for a slow reopening for those workers who do want to be in the office, as well as for jobs like hardware design and engineering that are challenging to do remotely.

Details: Workers will be allowed in the office on a timed, rotating basis, Pichai said. The company will focus first on those who need to work out of the office and let others who want to do so in if space permits.

"There are a limited number of Googlers whose roles are needed back in office this calendar year. If this applies to you, your manager will let you know by June 10," Pichai wrote. "For everyone else, returning to the office will be voluntary through the end of the year, and we encourage you to continue to work from home if you can."
The company also said it will allow employees that are working from home to expense up to $1,000 on gear for their home office.
The plan was earlier reported by CNET.

Go deeper: Many tech workers won't be going back to the office

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Google to open offices July 6 for 10% of workers

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