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After layoffs, the company adopts a stricter policy and offers financial assistance to those who accept the hybrid model and move closer to the units.
Google is once again changing its human resources policy and, after making layoffs in strategic areas such as Pixel and Android, it has announced a new measure that directly affects its workforce: the end of home office for some employees. The change requires a return to the hybrid model with a requirement to be present in the office for at least three days a week.
The decision, considered controversial both inside and outside the company, was confirmed by Courtenay Mencini, a Google spokesperson, in an interview with CNBC. She emphasized that in-person work will be enforced at the team level, and not as a single rule for all sectors. However, it was not specified which areas of the company will continue to require employees to return to the office.
Google's internal policy reinforces gradual return to in-person activities
Since the end of the pandemic, several companies have been readjusting their remote work policies. In the case of Google, the change indicates a clear preference for face-to-face interactions, under the argument that they are more effective in fostering innovation and solving complex issues collaboratively.
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“In-person collaboration is essential for innovation,” the company declared, reaffirming its commitment to the office environment as an essential space for creative dynamics and team integration.
Restructuring after layoffs and contract review
The new policy comes amid a scenario of internal restructuring. Google recently made cuts to important divisions, affecting professionals involved in hardware and software development — areas previously considered a priority.
Now, with the requirement for a partial physical return to work, the company is also reviewing contracts signed for a 100% remote regime, signed during the pandemic years. According to internal documents, employees who work remotely received notices with two options: to adhere to the hybrid model or accept a voluntary severance package.
Google offers financial assistance for moving
To try to mitigate the impacts of the new policy, Google announced that employees who accept the hybrid model and live more than 80 kilometers from the office will be entitled to financial assistance to change their address.
The goal, according to the company, is to allow employees to settle closer to the units where they will work in person. The measure seeks to avoid compulsory layoffs and encourage employees to remain in their roles, even if in a new format.
Despite this, many employees have shown resistance to the proposal. During the period of full-time home office, many moved to more distant cities, attracted by lower living costs and a better quality of life. The requirement to return to in-person work, even partially, may now generate logistical and contractual difficulties for these workers.
Link with new internal opportunities
Another important point of the new guideline is related to the internal movement of personnel. Even in cases where the remote contract is maintained, the company made it clear that new internal applications for other positions will depend on acceptance of the rules for returning to in-person classes.
This means that, to grow within Google or change areas, employees will have to adapt to the hybrid model, even if their previous role was performed remotely for years.
Reflection of Google's decision on the job market
Google's decision is seen by analysts as a sign of broader change in labor market global. The flexibility promoted during the pandemic, which led thousands of companies to adopt remote and hybrid models, is now being reviewed. Large corporations have resumed more traditional strategies, requiring physical presence in offices and reorganizing their internal policies.
Companies such as Meta, Amazon and Apple have also announced similar guidelines, reaffirming that, although technology allows for remote work, face-to-face interaction favors organizational culture, the exchange of ideas and engagement between teams.
For corporate management experts, the partial return may be an attempt to recover the sense of belonging and collective identity, elements that would have been weakened during the period of isolation.
The Future of Work in the Tech Sector
With Google's announcement, debates about the future of the work model in technology companies are growing. Working from home, previously considered an achievement for many professionals, is now being reviewed in light of new productivity, integration and data security goals.
The move by Google, one of the leading names in the sector, tends to influence other companies, especially those that follow its management and innovation standards. The discussion now revolves around how to reconcile flexibility, engagement and efficiency within increasingly complex and global structures.
Source: Engadget
