Google mandates workers back to Silicon Valley, other offices from April 4

Oakland: Alphabet Inc's Google from April 4 will require employees back about three days a week in some of its US, UK and Asia Pacific offices, its first step to end policies that allowed remote work because of Covid-19 concerns.

An internal email on Wednesday seen by Reuters told employees in the San Francisco Bay Area that "advances in prevention and treatment, the steady decline in cases we continue to see and the improved safety measures we have implemented...now mean we can officially begin the transition to the hybrid work week."

Google joins a wave of technology and finance companies that have begun mandating a return to office. While some big employers have embraced voluntary work-from-home policies permanently, others including Google are betting that it is best to push in-person interactions among colleagues.