The company is trying new strategies to bring its employees back to face-to-face. Offering discounts at its hotel on its Bayview California campus is one of them. But the proposal is not necessarily unanimous among the employees of the firm.
While teleworking has become part of the habits of many people since the health crisis, some companies want to see their employees return to their workplace. After Elon Musk who was annoyed with working from home, it may be Google who now wants a return to normal. In a slightly more elegant way perhaps, since the company wants a transition to a hybrid work mode by encouraging its employees to sleep on site. These will benefit from a reduction in the price of the hotel built directly on the Bayview campus.
An attractive offer for employees?
To encourage its employees to return to work in the offices of the head office, Google thus lowers the price of the night to 99 dollars. According to the company, this would allow employees who wish to telecommute to benefit from a “hybrid” experience, between relaxation in a friendly setting (not too far from headquarters anyway) and work in the office.
This proposal from Google would aim to alleviate the disadvantages of commuting between home and work, which would allow employees to benefit from an additional hour of sleep in the morning. In addition, breakfast is offered! Among the workers, some remain skeptical about the cost of such a proposal. Even if the price offered by Google remains lower than the average price of hotels in the area (between 120 and 150 dollars per night for a four-star hotel), a full month would cost 2,970 dollars. A price not really advantageous compared to permanent housing in the San Francisco area.
Resistance to returning to face-to-face
Even if Google clearly shows its desire for its employees to return to a more traditional way of working, many of them are still reluctant to this idea. Some recent actions taken by the company have sparked debate. Among these: precise tracking of the comings and goings of people with an entry badge, and the mandatory presence of employees during performance evaluations.
The post-COVID phase is a time when companies seek to balance the well-being of their employees with organizational imperatives. Hybrid working (part telecommuting and part in the office) is a solution practiced by many companies. At this level Google is still looking for itself and exploring the available solutions. In any case, the hotel’s proposal did not please everyone. Some believe that this absolutely does not compensate for the inconvenience of a return to the office.
Sources: The Register, The Verge
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