Google has expanded its return-to-office policy and offered voluntary buyouts to some US-based employees, according to an internal memo reviewed by Business Insider. Employees from various teams, including Core, Marketing, Research, Knowledge & Information (K&I), and Communications, received these buyout offers. The K&I team includes those working on Search, ads, and commerce. This new policy builds upon Google’s 2022 mandate requiring some US-based teams to work in the office three days a week while still offering ‘work from anywhere’ weeks. Now, all remote employees on affected teams living within 50 miles of an office must return to a hybrid schedule. A Google spokesperson stated that this move aims to bring people together in person for better collaboration and innovation. It remains unclear how many employees will be impacted by these changes or if more layoffs are forthcoming. Earlier this year, Google offered buyouts to staff in its Pixel and Android unit, followed by layoffs in the same division weeks later.
— new from Business Insider
