Google threatens to fire remote workers who don’t return to office: report

(KRON) — Google is reportedly telling some remote workers to start reporting to the office again or risk losing their jobs. CNBC, citing an internal memo, is reporting that several units within the search engine giant have told remote staffers that they need to start showing up at the closest office location at least three days a week.

Some of the employees to receive this notification had been previously approved for remote work, according to the report.

The return-to-office push comes as Google looks to make broader cuts to the company as it pivots toward artificial intelligence. At the beginning of the year, Google began offering some U.S. full-time employees voluntary buyouts. Some remote staffers were reportedly informed that would be their only option if they didn’t start reporting to the office at least three days a week.

“As we’ve said before, in-person collaboration is an important part of how we innovate and solve complex problems,” said Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini, in a statement cited by CNBC. “To support this, some teams have asked remote employees that live near an office to return to in-person work three days a week.”

The order to return to work on a hybrid basis only applies to certain teams within Google, a company spokesperson told LinkedIn News.

Google maintains its headquarters in Mountain View and has several offices around the Bay Area.