Google delays mandatory return to office until January 2022

Google will let its employees work from home for a little while longer.

In a message to employees published publicly on Tuesday, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai announced that the company will extend its global, voluntary return-to-office policy through Jan. 10, 2022.

Beyond that date, the company will allow individual countries and locations to end the policy based on local conditions. And when it finally happens, employees will be notified 30 days in advance before they have to return back to the office.

"As offices continue to reopen, we hope to see more teams coming together where possible, whether it be for regular team meetings, brainstorming sessions around a whiteboard, or outdoor socials. For some locations, conditions are starting to improve, yet in many parts of the world the pandemic continues to create uncertainty," wrote Pichai. "The road ahead may be a little longer and bumpier than we hoped, yet I remain optimistic that we will get through it together."

Google originally planned for employees to return to offices in September, which was later delayed to October. The company previously said it will require all employees who return to work to its offices to be vaccinated.

Google's decision comes amidst a rise in COVID-19 cases in the U.S., and many other countries where the company has offices. It follows similar decisions by Apple, Facebook, Lyft, and Amazon.