Google Will Reopen Offices On Voluntary, Limited Basis

VENICE, CA — Google announced this week it will reopen its offices gradually starting in July, offering employees the choice to return, and with social distancing measures applied, the company announced Tuesday. The company has offices two offices in Los Angeles: Google LAX BIN1 at 340 Main St., Venice and 12422 W. Bluff Creek Drive, Playa Vista.

From Silicon Valley to Silicon Beach, companies are changing their approach to offices and beginning to offer many employees the chance to work from home permanently.

In a message from Google CEO Sundar Pichai, he described what returning to Google offices might look like in the coming weeks.

"Beginning July 6, assuming external conditions allow, we’ll start to open more buildings in more cities," he said. "This will give Googlers who need to come back to the office—or, capacity permitting, who want to come back—the opportunity to return on a limited, rotating basis (think: one day every couple of weeks, so roughly 10 percent building occupancy)."

For people who do return to the office, it won't be the same as before the pandemic. Social distancing measures will be included.

"We’ll have rigorous health and safety measures in place to ensure social distancing and sanitization guidelines are followed, so the office will look and feel different than when you left," Pichai said. "Our goal is to be fair in the way we allocate time in the office, while limiting the number of people who come in, consistent with safety protocols."

If health conditions allow, the group hopes to reopen offices for September. This still includes some limits, including a rotation schedule, "which would mean most people who want to come in could do so on a limited basis, while still prioritizing those who need to come in," Pichai said.

The company is working to add more flexibility for employees, Pichai said. And, people who are required to return to the office will be notified by their managers by June 10, he added.

Some Google employees have asked if they can relocate temporarily or work from home.

"While some of you have expressed interest in coming back to the office, others have asked whether it’s okay to temporarily relocate to another place to be closer to family while you’re working from home," Pichai said. "Please talk with your manager if you are considering this, and review the guidelines, which include important information about a number of personal factors you should consider (such as your tax filings and health coverage/eligibility)."

Several tech companies have announced that employees will not all be required to return to offices and many can continue working from home, including Twitter and Facebook. Employees from both companies can now work from home permanently.

Both Facebook and Twitter also have plans to reopen their offices but remain closed after first closing their doors back in March.

Google has offices located across the U.S., including California offices in Venice, Playa Vista, San Diego, Mountain View, San Bruno, Sunnyvale and San Francisco.

Patch reached out for additional information about offices reopening and will continue to update this developing story.

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