Google is one of the largest technology companies in the world and with its size and reputation comes a hell lot of responsibility that caters to the demand of the government, its employees, and the public good. Mandatory return to offices seems highly unlikely amidst the rising COVID-19 pandemic with its latest mutation called ‘Delta Variant” and Google has no choice but to understand the depth of the situation and do what is best for its employees and public at large.
According to recent reports, Google postpones return to offices until January next year amid the rising COVID-19 cases the recovery of the pandemic across the globe. The technology giant has been taking this decision for a long time now, after every 2-3 months it announces a delay in the mandatory return to office policy and honestly, it is not their fault this time, the circumstances are such.
Google Chief Executive Officer, Sundar Pichai informed its employees about the delay in mandatory return to offices and the continuation of work from home until January 2022. However, the company’s voluntary scheme of a hybrid work model is still in place and will last through January 10th, according to reports.
As mentioned in a report by Engadget, there are several factors determining this decision by Google including vaccination rates, availability of vaccines, and the varying COVID-19 cases, and not for forget the latest Delta variant. The rising COVID-19 cases are different for each country, the USA might have a lesser number than, say, India. Thus, Google might have to consider solitary decisions instead of coming up with a standardized policy for mandatory return to offices.
The technology giant aims to keep its employees safe and is not taking chances regardless of the situation. Following this approach, the company will also require complete vaccination for employees returning to the office, be it on mandatory return to offices or on voluntary return.
However, it is not just Google, even Apple has decided to push back on its mandatory return to offices amid the rising COVID-19 cases and the new Delta variant lurking around the corner. It is true that these companies and several other are longing to see busy people walking down their halls and doing their job and everything but the situation does not allow it to happen.
The pandemic has been around for a while now and the only thing we can do is to keep ourselves safe, our families safe, our friends safe and most of all, the community safe by taking complete precautions. So, wear a mask and always carry a sanitizer.
