Google says 20% of workers will be remote, many more hybrid

In this Sept. 24, 2019, file photo, a woman walks below a Google sign on the campus in Mountain View, Calif. On Wednesday, May 5, 2021, Google said that it expects about 20% of its workforce to still work remotely after the pandemic. In addition, some 60% will work a hybrid schedule that includes about three days in the office and two days wherever the employees work best. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — Google says it expects about 20% of its workforce to still work remotely after its offices reopen this fall, while some 60% will work a hybrid schedule that includes about three days in the office and two days “wherever they work best.”

The remaining 20% can change their location to a different Google office.

The policy announced Wednesday relaxes the company’s stricter earlier stance.

“The future of work is flexibility,” CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in an email to employees that was also posted on Google’s website. “The changes above are a starting point to help us do our very best work and have fun doing it.”

Most of Google's 135,000 employees can continue to work from home through September of this year.

For up to 20 days per year, Google employees will also be able to work from any location other than their main office. That's up from a previous allotment of 10 days.

The company based in Mountain View, California, will also continue offering extra “reset” days — days off to help cope with the pandemic.

Google was among the first major technology companies last year to tell its employees to work from home at the onset of the pandemic. Other tech giants, such as Facebook and Twitter, have announced that people can work from home permanently after the pandemic if their jobs allow for it.