Google tightens return-to-work policies by using in-person attendance as part of employee performance reviews

As the COVID-19 pandemic gradually loses its grip on the world, companies are growing increasingly eager to bring their employees back to the office by any means necessary.

Joining the ranks of these companies, Google has recently tightened its return-to-work policies, aiming to encourage workers to commute more frequently. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the tech giant stated in an internal email that office attendance could become a factor in employees’ performance evaluations if they failed to meet the minimum requirement of three days of in-office work.

Google, however, has no plans to expand the number of employees working from home full-time. The company indicated that remote work arrangements would only be considered in exceptional cases.

“We have been following a hybrid work model for our employees for over a year now, where they spend three days a week in the office and the remaining two days working from home,” said Google spokesperson Ryan Lamont in an email to Fortune. “This approach has been successful, and we value the connections and collaboration that occur in person. Therefore, we are limiting remote work to exceptional circumstances.”

The transition to a three-day office schedule began over a year ago at Google, following two years of remote work necessitated by pandemic-related restrictions. Initially, the return to the office posed logistical challenges due to the influx of returning employees.

“Our hybrid approach combines the advantages of being together in person with the benefits of working from home for part of the week. Now that we have more than a year of experience with this way of working, we are formally integrating this approach into all our workplace policies,” Lamont explained.

Google has not responded to Fortune’s request for further details on how attendance will be tied to employee performance.

Challenges in implementing return-to-office mandates Tech companies have encountered difficulties in persuading their employees to comply with return-to-office mandates, prompting firms like Google to take a stricter stance on remote work. Some companies are resorting to innovative methods to encourage employees to return to the office. For instance, cloud company Salesforce has offered to donate $10 to a local charity for each day an employee works in person between June 12 and June 23, as reported by Fortune.

However, the office experience for Google employees will not be as lavish as it was before the pandemic. In a cost-cutting move, the search giant has eliminated perks like free massages and expects employees to share desks.

The end of remote work on the horizon? Remote work became the preferred mode of operation for many during the pandemic, but the era of full-time remote work may be drawing to a close. This year, the drive to have employees return to the office at least part of the time has gained momentum, with companies such as Disney, Meta, and Starbucks announcing plans for a few days of in-person work each week.

These policies have faced criticism from employees. Amazon’s decision to recall workers to the office in May led to protests, and last week, employees staged a walkout in opposition to the return-to-work policy. Despite these challenges, the tech and cloud giant remains steadfast in its approach.

However, office occupancy rates in the top 10 metro cities remain below 50% each week, according to security firm Kastle Systems, indicating that employees continue to prioritize flexibility between remote and in-person work.

The impact of remote work on productivity Google asserts that in-person work is essential for fostering collaboration. “While not everyone believes in the ‘magical hallway conversations,’ there is no doubt that working together in the same room makes a positive difference,” wrote Fiona Cicconi, Google’s chief people officer, in the email announcing the policy change, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Google is not the only tech company that believes in the benefits of in-person work and collaboration. Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg have both claimed that fully remote workers are less productive than those who had at least some in-person office time prior to the pandemic. In a statement released in March, Zuckerberg stated, “Our initial analysis of performance data suggests that engineers who initially joined Meta in-person and then transitioned to remote work or remained in-person performed better on average than those who joined remotely.”

The true impact of remote work on employee productivity remains uncertain. Managers tend to believe that working from home hampers performance, while employees argue the opposite. Remote work also saves employees time by eliminating commuting, which is often used for additional work. Despite companies’ eagerness to have employees return to the office, experts predict that remote work will continue to be part of the new normal.