Google is placing new limits on its Work from Anywhere (WFA) policy which it established during the coronavirus pandemic in 2021. The core change being made by the company now is that a single WFA day logged in a standard work week will now count as a full WFA week deducted from the yearly balance.
The policy allows employees to work from a non-main office location for up to four weeks per calendar year. For employees to make the most out of their WFA allowance, it’s best to spend the whole week working remotely.
In a memo circulated over the summer, Google said: “Whether you log 1 WFA day or 5 WFA days in a given standard work week, 1 WFA week will be deducted from your WFA weekly balance.”
It’s important to point out that the WFA policy is designed for people taking trips away somewhere and they can’t be used from home or nearby. Google maintains a separate work from home policy that allows you to work from home two days per week but that’s not being altered right now.
On one of Google’s internal platforms, where employees can ask questions, an employee called the policy update “confusing,” specifically asking why one WFA day counts as a full week. Google’s VP of performance and rewards, John Casey, defended the policy stating it was “always intended to be taken in increments of a week”. The internal document says that any violations of the policy will result in “disciplinary action or termination.”
Google’s decision is part of a broader trend where tech companies are forcing employees to spend more time in the office. Microsoft, one of Google’s main competitors, has recently required employees to work in the office for three days each week. It moved away from its previous policy that allowed 50% remote work with manager approval.
Another big tech firm that has tightened up its rules is Amazon. It has begun instructing corporate staffers to spend five days a week in the office. The COVID-19 pandemic has long blown over but attempts to move people back into the office full time have met resistance, so firms like Google have slowly been chipping away at remote work options to get people back into the office without people noticing as much.
Source: CNBC