Latest news with #Knowledge&Information
India.com
14-06-2025
- Business
- India.com
Sundar Pichai's Google issues warning to these employees over..., tells them to leave or...
Sundar Pichai's Google issues warning to these employees over…, tells them to leave or… Google Warns Its Employees: For some months, the American multinational technology company Google has been trying to end its Work From Home policy by tightening its return-to-office norms across several divisions. The company wants its remote employees who live within 50 miles to come to the office and work on-site at least three days per week. Employees who act stubborn and ignore this directive may face potential job loss. The tech giant has broadened its restructuring efforts, offering voluntary severance packages to US employees in several key departments, including search, marketing, research, and core engineering. The New Policy To Affect These Employees The new policy affects employees in Google's Knowledge & Information division, which houses Search, ads and commerce operations, as well as Core engineering teams. Remote workers who live within 50 miles of approved Google offices must now transition to a hybrid 3-day schedule by September or accept severance packages.'When it comes to connection, collaboration, and moving quickly to innovate together, there's just no substitute for coming together in person,' said Jen Fitzpatrick, Senior Vice President of Core Systems, in an internal memo obtained by multiple outlets. The return to office policy is going to affect employees working in Google's Knowledge & Information division, which looks after Search, ads and commerce operations and Core engineering teams. Remote workers who are living under a 50 miles radius have to come to office for on-site work for at least three days or accept severance packages. This policy will come in force by September. Jen Fitzpatrick, Senior Vice President of Core Systems, in an internal memo, said, 'When it comes to connection, collaboration, and moving quickly to innovate together, there's just no substitute for coming together in person.' Push In-Person Collaboration Strategy Google's Knowledge & Information group head Nick Fox talked about the company's focus on having fully engaged workforce, while also providing a voluntary exit program for employees who are underperforming or misaligned with the company's strategic direction. 'My goal is for every single one of us here to be all-in on building the future of our products,' Fox's memo to staff read. 'This VEP offers a supportive exit path for those of you who don't feel aligned with our strategy, don't feel energized by your work, or are having difficulty meeting the expectations of your role,' the memo further read. Google's To Eliminate Remote Work Culture The announcement was made as a part of Google's ongoing efforts to reduce remote work flexibility. In April 2025, the company started informing remote workers in various divisions to start working from office or face elimination. Following 2023 layoffs affecting 12,000 employees, Google initiated selective employee buyout programs in early 2025. Concurrently, the company is hiring while restructuring to prioritize AI development and infrastructure, excluding certain divisions—DeepMind, Google Cloud, YouTube, and core advertising sales—from these buyout initiatives. However, YouTube is separately mandating a return to the office for some nearby remote workers.
India Today
11-06-2025
- Business
- India Today
Come to office or leave: Google gets tough on work-from-office policy, starts offering voluntary exits
Google has taken a tougher approach towards remote work in the US, asking more employees to return to the office or opt for a voluntary exit package. The company has rolled out a new return-to-office (RTO) rule for teams working in key areas like Core, Marketing, Research, Knowledge & Information (K&I), and Communications. The K&I group includes employees involved in major products such as Google Search, commerce and part of this move, employees who have been working remotely but live within 50 miles of a Google office are being told to switch to a hybrid schedule. This means they must start coming to the office at least three days a week. While Google had already introduced a hybrid work policy in 2022, this new step expands its reach and makes the expectation go along with this, the company is offering a voluntary exit programme to certain US-based employees, according to the internal memo accessed by Business Insider. Those who choose to leave will get a severance package. A spokesperson for Google said this option is being provided to help the company focus on the work ahead, and it's already been tried in other teams with positive The memo, which is shared by a top Google executive, explained that the company is in the middle of an important change, especially with the rise of AI. To keep up with the pace of change, Google wants its teams to be more connected and collaborative, something it believes happens better with in-person voluntary exit is also being positioned as a chance for people who feel less connected to the company's goals to step away, while creating room for others to grow within the organisation. Google has clarified that this is not a round of layoffs, but a way to bring more focus and energy to important the announcement has raised some concerns. In the past, Google has followed similar exit offers with job cuts. In 2023, the company let go of around 12,000 employees globally, and this year too, it carried out smaller rounds of layoffs in teams like Treasury and Business it is not clear how many people will be impacted this time, the message is clear. Google wants more of its staff back in office, and those who are not willing may have the option to walk away.
