Sundar Pichai lays out Google’s new ‘hybrid’ workplace plan

With some Google employees returning to the company’s offices voluntarily last month, CEO Sundar Pichai says the tech giant will adopt a new hybrid work week. In an expansion of a pilot that started in December, most employees will spend approximately three days working out of the office and the other two “wherever they work best.” How that split will work out in practice will depend on a worker’s product focus and the team they’re a part of.

Additionally, Google will offer more opportunities for employees to move around. By mid-June, it will introduce a process that will allow workers to apply to work from a different office. What’s more, all employees will have the chance to work up to four weeks away from their assigned office temporarily. Google also plans to develop more remote roles and even teams made up entirely of people that aren’t all in one place. The company will also allow employees to apply for remote work within their product area. When it comes to working out of a different office and taking on a remote role, the company says it will consider the needs of the employee’s team.

“Whether you choose to transfer to a different office or opt for completely remote work, your compensation will be adjusted according to your new location,” Pichai says of the policy. With the above changes, the executive estimates about 60 percent of the company’s workforce will work onsite a handful of days every week. Twenty percent will work from home, while another 20 percent will end up in new office locations.