Some companies are making plans to get employees back in offices as more Covid-19 vaccines become available.
Google employees across the U.S. will be allowed to return to the office as soon as this month, the New York Times reported.
Re-openings will vary by state depending on the number of Covid-19 cases in the area, the publication reported. Offices will operate at a limited capacity, and workers will be required to wear masks, practice social distancing and pass a health survey.
Previously, Google announced that it will require employees to return to its offices in September. They’ll continue to have the option to continue to work from home until then.
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The announcement makes Google one of several tech companies that will let workers return to the office sooner than later. Facebook plans to reopen its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, in May, while Uber has already welcomed some employees back to its San Francisco office, the publication reported.
Meanwhile, in New York City, the de Blasio administration plans to send municipal employees back to offices by May 3.
Still, some companies are opting for hybrid models, while others are giving their employees the option of working from home indefinitely. That’s led some firms, like JPMorgan Chase, to sublet office space.
But that doesn’t mean everyone wants to go back. Seventy-two percent of workers would rather work from home more regularly, and 66 percent want to move to a hybrid model that lets them work at home or from coworking spaces, according to a survey by JLL.
[NYT] — Cordilia James