Google threatens employees’ jobs if they don’t come back to the office

During the pandemic, remote working was common. But many large tech companies have changed their tune in recent years, insisting that their employees to return to the office for at least part of the workweek — even when they lack adequate office space.

The latest news is that Google is now threatening to lay off employees in certain departments who are not in the office at least three days each week. For example, remote workers in the Technical Services unit were told they must choose between a hybrid work schedule and a voluntary exit package, according to CNBC. Employees in the unit who live more than 50 miles from the office will be offered financial compensation to move closer to work.

This follows an internal memo Google co-founder Sergey Brin sent in February, in which he urged employees working on the company’s Gemini AI model to be in the office every weekday and work 60 hours per week.

“Face-to-face collaboration is an important part of how we come up with new inventions and solve complex problems,” Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini told CNBC.

Previously, tech giants Meta, IBM, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Tesla, among many others, have chosen to limit the right to telework, despite numerous studies showing that RTO mandates hurt worker productivity, satisfaction, and retention.