Over the past few months, Google, which is led by CEO Sundar Pichai, has been making drastic workplace changes as it invests billions of dollars in artificial intelligence, following in the footsteps of its tech competitors.
Some of these changes include layoffs, since Google aims to remove organizational layers and “operate more efficiently.”
In February, Google laid off an unknown number of cloud and HR employees.
In April, it laid off hundreds of employees in its platforms and devices unit, which is responsible for developing Android, Pixel, Chrome, Fitbit, and other products.
Google even fired 35% of its managers in August, affecting those who ran smaller teams.
The following month, it fired over 200 contract workers who worked on developing Google’s AI products.
In addition to layoffs, Google recently began cracking down on remote work in its company culture. Earlier this year, it reportedly sent memos to several teams warning remote employees that they would lose their jobs if they didn’t show up to the office three days a week.
Now, Google is doubling down on its efforts to limit remote work. This time, it has decided to add restrictions to its “Work from Anywhere” policy, which was put in place in 2020 and allows employees to work from any location outside of the office (except from their home or anywhere nearby) four weeks per calendar year, according to a recent report from CNBC.
Google has tweaked the policy to state that working remotely for one day counts as a full week.
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“Whether you log 1 WFA (work from anywhere) day or 5 WFA days in a given standard work week, 1 WFA week will be deducted from your WFA weekly balance,” reads an internal document outlining the new rule.
During an internal all-hands meeting discussing the change, John Casey, Google vice president of performance and rewards, said that WFA “was meant to meet Googlers where they were during the pandemic.”
“The policy was always intended to be taken in increments of a week and not be used as a substitute for working from home in a regular hybrid workweek,” said Casey.
The policy was always intended to be taken in increments of a week and not be used as a substitute for working from home in a regular hybrid workweek.
In addition, the document, which was sent to employees over the summer, also informs workers that during their WFA days, they are not permitted to work from a Google office in a separate state or country due to “legal and financial implications of cross border work.”
