A view of the Google sign displaying pride colors at their office building in Chelsea with the pride flag on June 21, 2020 in New York City.
Alexi Rosenfeld | Getty Images
Google said on Monday it will extend its coronavirus work from home order to through June 2021.
“To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we are extending our global voluntary work from home option through June 30, 2021 for roles that don’t need to be in the office,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in an email to employees. Google had originally said employees should expect to return to the office in January 2021.
The change will affect “nearly all” of Google’s 200,000 employees, including contractors and full-time workers, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news.
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.
