Hybrid model enforced as company moves away from remote work
Google is tightening its work-from-home policies, warning employees that failure to comply with a stricter hybrid model could put their jobs at risk, CNBC reported.
The updated policy requires employees to work from a physical Google office at least three times a week. The push marks another step in the company’s cost-cutting measures, which began with mass layoffs in 2023, and coincides with Google’s strategic shift toward artificial intelligence.
Remote work approvals revoked for many employees
According to internal documents reviewed by CNBC, specific units and departments have instructed employees, some of whom were previously approved to work remotely, to start reporting to nearby offices three days a week.
The move reflects a broader industry trend. Many tech companies that embraced remote work at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic are now pivoting back toward in-person collaboration, driven largely by the rising demands of AI development.
Earlier this year, some full-time U.S.-based Google employees were offered voluntary buyouts. Remote employees who declined to transition to the hybrid model were reportedly presented with a similar choice, according to the report.
AI teams face even stricter expectations
At Google, AI teams have been given even tougher mandates. In a February memo cited by CNBC, employees were told they should be present in the office every weekday, with 60 hours a week described as “the sweet spot of productivity” necessary to maintain a competitive edge in AI innovation.
Not a companywide mandate, says Google
Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini clarified that the return-to-office demands are being determined by individual teams based on their needs and are not part of a companywide policy.
“As we’ve said before, in-person collaboration is an important part of how we innovate and solve complex problems… To support this, some teams have asked remote employees who live near an office to return to in-person work three days a week,” CNBC quoted Mencini as saying.
Among the departments asking workers to return are Google Technical Services and the company’s Human Resources division, known internally as People Operations.
Relocation assistance offered, but deadlines loom
For Google Technical Services employees currently working remotely, the company has offered a one-time paid relocation within 50 miles of a Google office, CNBC reported.
Meanwhile, employees in People Operations who live within 50 miles of an office have been given until June to begin commuting to the office three times a week. Those who fail to comply risk losing their jobs, according to the report.
Employees living farther away are allowed to remain remote for now; however, their career growth could be limited, as future roles at Google may require a shift to the hybrid model.
