Google's return-to-office push: A bid for AI competitiveness
Google is introducing a requirement for some employees to return to the office. Sergey Brin, the company's co-founder, requires employees to be present in the office for three days a week. A refusal may result in job loss, according to CNBC.
The American tech giant has determined that employee presence in the office for at least three days a week is key to team effectiveness and innovation. As reported by CNBC, disagreement with these conditions may lead to job loss.
The decision to return to the office is part of Google's strategy to enhance competitiveness in the field of artificial intelligence. In February, Brin stated that 60 hours spent in the office is the "most productive time," allowing focus on priority tasks. Implementing this requirement is intended to help the company keep pace with rapidly developing competition.
Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini responded to CNBC that the demands for remote employees to return to the office apply to individual teams and are not a company-wide policy. She also added that these were requests.
However, CNBC reports that employees in Google Technical Services have been informed they must transition to a hybrid work format or voluntarily resign if they live close to the company. Remote employees in this unit are offered one-time paid relocation costs to move within an 80-kilometre radius of the office.
At the end of last year, Google employed 183,000 people. Two years ago, the giant employed 190,000 people.
