Google Wants People in Office, Despite Productivity Gains at Home

Employees are waiting to hear whether their remote work plans will be approved. From a report: Google software engineers reported something in a recent survey that surprised higher-ups: they felt as productive working from home as they did before the pandemic. Internal research at the Alphabet unit also showed that employees want more 'collaboration and social connections' at work, according to Brian Welle, a human resources vice president. Welle declined to provide exact figures but said 'more than 75%' of surveyed employees answered this way. Most staff also specifically craved physical proximity when working on new projects. 'There's something about innovative work -- when you need that spark,' Welle said in an interview. 'Our employees feel like those moments happen better when they're together.'

That's partially why, despite the rebound in productivity, the technology giant is sticking with its plan to bring most employees back to offices this fall. As Google deliberates which individual employees will get to continue working full time from home and who will need to come in, some staff are increasingly frustrated by the lack of clear direction and uneven enforcement of the policy. Internal message boards lit up this month when a senior Google executive announced he was going to work from New Zealand. Meanwhile, most lower-level staff are waiting to learn if they can relocate, or have to come into the office.

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