Google extends work from home order until summer 2021 – WSJ

• Google’s announcement is expected as soon as Monday, according to the report, which said 200,000 employees and contractors will be affected.

• It’s the first major tech company to extend its timeline to next summer as the Covid-19 pandemic drags on. 

Google will keep its employees home until at least next July, people familiar with the matter said, making the search-engine giant the first major U.S. corporation to formalize such an extended timetable in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Google will extend the work from home order for its employees until summer 2021, according to people familiar with the matter. This makes google  the the first major U.S. corporation formalize such an extended timetable in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

The move will affect nearly all of the roughly 200,000 full-time and contract employees across Google parent Alphabet Inc., and is sure to pressure other technology giants that have slated staff to return as soon as January to follow suit.

The Wall Street Journal said Google is expected to make its plans official as soon as Monday, and the change will affect 200,000 employees, including contractors and full-time workers.

Most tech companies have announced that the bulk of employees can work from home until the end of 2020, or haven’t finalized a timeline. Amazon, Apple and Facebook have asked that workers return in January. Twitter has allowed employees to work from home “forever” if they wish.

The conservative move from Google could push its tech peers to follow suit. 

The development comes as states continue to see outbreaks of the deadly virus. As of Monday, the United States has reported more than 4.2 million cases, with at least 146,900 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. 

As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, however, many companies, including those that may have opposed remote working in the past, have been forced to embrace such arrangements and come to terms with the legal complexities—as well as opportunities—surrounding telecommuting. 

According to Gallup Panel data, the percentage of employed adults who said that they have worked from home due to COVID-19 topped 62 percent in mid-April. 

This includes a large number of non-exempt employees who traditionally may not have been included in work-from-home opportunities.

What are the concerns?

Even as stay-at-home orders lift and physical workplaces gradually reopen, many companies may continue to offer remote working opportunities to help with social distancing and other infection control and prevention strategies, address employee needs (eg, school closures or vulnerable employees), and promote business continuity. To help ensure the success of work-from-home arrangements, employers are encouraged to proactively address various risks, from wage-and-hour issues to health and safety concerns and cyber threats.