As Google prepares to bring employees back to its offices, the company is relaxing some of its Covid-19 workplace policies, including a rule requiring U.S. employees to be vaccinated. But employees will still need to be vaccinated if they plan to use the company’s offices.
In an email to San Francisco Bay Area employees last week, Google said it was easing some of its pandemic restrictions. It will no longer require employees to be tested weekly to enter its US offices. Also, office staff are not required to wear masks, with the exception of Santa Clara County, home of Google’s main headquarters in Mountain View.
Google also said it plans to restore many of its famous office amenities, such as fitness centers, cafeterias, massage services and shuttle buses. CNBC reported the change in policy earlier.
“Based on the current conditions in the Bay Area, we are pleased that our employees who choose to enter now have access to more on-site spaces and services,” Google wrote in a statement.
Separately, the company has dropped the requirement that U.S. employees provide proof of vaccination status or apply for a medical or religious waiver, said Lora Lee Erickson, a Google spokeswoman.
Last year, Google said employees who failed to do so would be placed on administrative leave and could eventually be fired. Ms. Erickson does not explain why the company has changed its position.
Like many companies, Google has had to adapt its policies to the often-changing circumstances of the pandemic. It has repeatedly rolled back plans for when it will ask employees to start working on a hybrid schedule that combines remote work and time in the office.
Google’s offices are an important part of its work culture, and the company has resisted going completely remote like other tech companies.
In lieu of a global mandate, Google has repeatedly said it will allow different regions to determine when employees should come a few times a week. In the United States, Google said, Google is still assessing the right time to begin its hybrid work schedule and has not set a date for employees to return to the office.
While returning to the office is still voluntary, Google said about 30 percent of Bay Area employees entered the office last week.
