MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.–With just three words, Google’s CEO has given the best reason yet for not returning to the office, according to one person.
Writing on Inc.com, Jasen Aten noted that like many companies Google has been making plans to bring workers back to its campus while also allowing for some flexibility as the world returns to “normal.”
However, as the pandemic surges again across different areas of the U.S. Amazon, Facebook, and Apple have all said they will push their returns back to 2022. Now, Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai, has published a blog post explaining why that company plans to do the same, said Aten.
“There are quite a few lessons from the post, but I want to focus on three words near the end,” said Aten, saying this is the most relevant portion of the blog post:
“First, as offices continue to reopen, we hope to see more teams coming together where possible, whether it be for regular team meetings, brainstorming sessions around a whiteboard, or outdoor socials. For some locations, conditions are starting to improve, yet in many parts of the world, the pandemic continues to create uncertainty. Acknowledging that, we'll extend our global voluntary return-to-office policy through January 10, 2022 to give more Googlers flexibility and choice as they ramp back.”
The Important Thing
“The important thing to notice is that while Pichai is clear that Google's goal is that its ‘offices continue to reopen,’ he uses three words that are the best reason I've seen yet for not returning to the office: ‘Flexibility and choice’,” said Aten. “It's a familiar refrain from Pichai and Google. When he announced the company's "return to work" plan, he used the same three words. At the time, they were meant to reflect a commitment from Google to allow employees to make their own decision, along with their manager, about how to best meet the needs of the business as well as their own.”
Aten wrote that giving employees flexibility and choice empowers them with a sense that they have more control over their time, their work, and their lives.
“As Pichai mentions, the continuation of the pandemic is causing uncertainty for employees,” he stated. “That leads to anxiety, confusion, and stress. Being flexible and giving employees a choice goes a long way to solving that.”