"Don't Want to Come In Three Days a Week? Quit or Be Fired"... Google's Stern Warning

Google Shifts to Three Days In-Office Work Policy
"In-Person Collaboration Is a Critical Issue"

Google has reduced its remote work policy and shifted to a system requiring employees to come into the office three times a week, notifying staff that failure to comply with the company's guidelines could result in termination.

According to a report by U.S. business media outlet CNBC on April 23 (local time), Google informed some employees that returning to the office is mandatory, stating, "If you do not come into the office at least three days a week, voluntary resignation may be your only option." Since the beginning of this year, Google has been offering voluntary resignation with financial compensation to some full-time employees in the United States.

The report states that, under company policy, employees who live within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of an office are required to work in a hybrid model, combining remote work and in-office attendance. Those who do not comply will have their positions removed.

Additionally, since the beginning of this year, Google has reduced more than 20 teams through voluntary resignation programs and departmental consolidations. A Google spokesperson explained to CNBC, "Following the integration of several departments, the teams have focused on becoming more agile and operating more effectively," adding, "This process has included some workforce reductions in addition to the voluntary resignation program."

However, Google clarified that the return-to-office policy is not a company-wide mandate but is implemented at the individual team level. The spokesperson stated, "In-person collaboration is a critical part of how we innovate and solve complex problems," and explained, "To support this, some teams have requested that remote employees living near the office return for in-person work three days a week."

Previously, Google co-founder Sergey Brin (51) personally encouraged employees to come into the office five days a week. In a memo sent to staff on March 26, he pointed out, "Many people are working less than 60 hours, and some are putting in only the minimum effort needed to get by," adding, "Such an organization is not only unproductive but can also significantly lower the morale of everyone else."

He went on to emphasize, "If employees work harder, we can lead the industry in the field of artificial general intelligence (AGI), where AI becomes as smart as or smarter than humans," and told employees developing Google's AI model Gemini, "60 hours per week is the optimal point for productivity."

CNBC noted, "This push for a return to the office comes at a time when Google and other major tech companies are making large-scale investments in AI while simultaneously seeking to cut other costs."

Meanwhile, since 2023, Google has carried out large-scale layoffs, citing investments in AI infrastructure as the reason. As of the end of last year, Google had approximately 183,000 employees, a decrease from about 190,000 two years earlier.