Google Delays Return To Office Again As Omicron Threat Looms

Google has delayed its plans to call employees back to the office from the original target of January 10 as the scare of Omicron variant of Coronavirus looms.

Google Again Delays Return To Office As Omicron Threat Looms

New Delhi: Tech behemoth Google has delayed its plans to call employees back to office from the original target of January 10 as the scare of Omicron variant of Coronavirus looms. This is for the Google workforce based in the US and other locations, the media has reported.

The tech giant had earlier decided to be flexible with the return to office date, but it was keen on January 10 as the target, said a report by Business Insider.

Another report mentioned that Google has postponed the January 10 timeline to return to office in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East too amid Omicron concerns. Earlier in August, when the Delta variant of Coronavirus was a big concern, Google had extended its voluntary return-to-office programme until January 10, post which Google said it would let locations decide when to end the voluntary work-from-home, depending on local conditions.

Google has already made several changes to its return to work plans as the pandemic evolved.

Earlier last month, Apple had decided to call back its employees under a new hybrid plan which will come into effect from February 2022. Now, that the Omicron scare looms, Apple is likely to postpone its plan too.

Apple CEO Tim Cook had earlier said company employees will be required to report to the office one to two days a week for the first month. Starting March, the tech giant will implement a hybrid work plan, the media has reported.

Referring to an internal memo sent to staff by the company CEO, Apple wants staff to return to offices on February 1 to begin a 'hybrid work pilot'. The tech giant had earlier offered two weeks of remote work per year but added two more weeks to give 'more opportunity to travel, be closer to your loved ones, or simply shake up your routines', according to the internal memo. The employees will come to the office on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and they'll be able to work from home on Wednesdays and Fridays.