"Google and Others Struggling to Bring Employees Back to the Office"

US Major Corporations Mandate Return to Office After COVID-19 Pandemic Ends
Workers Protest, Saying Remote Work Helps Work-Life Balance

According to a report by The Washington Post on the 7th (local time), American companies such as Google are trying to bring employees who insist on working from home even after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic back to the office.

Fiona Cicconi, Google’s Chief People Officer (CPO), sent a message to employees on the same day stating, “If you do not comply with the three-day-a-week office attendance policy, it may be reflected in your performance review.” Despite mandating three days of office attendance per week since April last year, many employees have not adhered to the policy, prompting this warning.

She said, “People who work in the office more than three days a week feel more connected to other employees, and I have heard that this effect is even stronger when team members work in the same place. Of course, not everyone believes in the power of the ‘mysterious hallway conversations,’ but there is no doubt that working together in the same space brings positive changes.”

Google was the first major U.S. company to introduce remote work in March 2020, at the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Farmers Insurance has also mandated that employees living within 50 miles (approximately 80 km) of the office must come to work three times a week starting this September. Kali Craft, a spokesperson for Farmers Insurance, emphasized, “We have shown considerable consideration by providing a three-month preparation period. This measure is intended to promote greater collaboration and creativity, career development, and organic interactions.”

Cloud-based enterprise software company Salesforce has decided to donate $10 to local charities for each employee who comes to the office or attends company events while working remotely between the 12th and 23rd of this month. In addition to these companies, large corporations such as Disney, Starbucks, and AT&T have recently mandated employees’ return to the office over the past few months.

Workers’ opposition is strong. According to data from a security company, office occupancy rates in major U.S. cities have not even reached 50% of pre-pandemic levels. Workers oppose these policies, saying that the work flexibility gained through remote work during the pandemic has helped not only their mental health but also their work-life balance.

Experts also argue that mandating office attendance does not necessarily create a strong corporate culture. Kali Williams Yost criticized, “Many executives simply enforce the number of days employees must come to the office but avoid efforts to find meaningful ways to transform the time employees spend together.”