back to article Just one in 5 Googlers plan to swerve the office permanently after COVID-19

One in five Googlers will be permanently working from home once the pandemic abates but for the majority it seems free meals in staff canteens, guest celebrity speaker appearances, resident gyms and massage therapy are irresistible lures. A pre-Christmas directive from the Chocolate Factory was for the majority of employees to …

  1. Keven E
    Pint

    All Wet?

    "...team synchronised swimming to ensure editors and reporters are all on the same page."

    Poor Dabsy has to do it with a webcam and a bit of a delay, eh?

    1. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
      Pint

      Re: All Wet?

      The only synchronised "wet" activity that I think they really get up to is the hauling of pints - though no news of LESTER of late when they were in the WeWork offices with beer on tap

  2. Antonius_Prime
    Devil

    I managed to shout...

    Bingo three times in that article alone...

    If I had that old bluetooth enabled buzzword bingo aoo, my phone would've gone bang!

  3. Paul Smith

    Turn the headline around.

    Despite lots of free stuff and what would usually be described as about the best office environment you can get, 20% of googlers would still rather not have to turn up in person.

    1. Claptrap314 Silver badge

      Re: Turn the headline around.

      That's because some actual nerds still work there. Nerds with social anxieties.

      Still, the goal is to get their people to spend most of their working hours hanging out, minds loosely-work related. I suppose for some green grad with no family, it would be some kind of paradise.

      1. Steve Aubrey

        Re: Turn the headline around.

        And some nerds don't like to commute

      2. Drew Scriver

        Re: Turn the headline around.

        Spot on.

        Trouble is that HR and (executive) management tends to attract bubbly extrovert types who thrive on get-togethers and team games on stage.

        Notwithstanding the rhetoric about "inclusion and diversity", their ultimate goal seems to be to "fix" the nerds and help (force?) them "reach their full social outgoing potential" so they can be "normal human beings".

        For proof one only has to look at the Open Office Floorplan that was foisted on tech workers. It was declared a success even before implementation. Anyone objecting was told "they'd learn to love it" and naysayers were dubbed "saboteurs of true interaction". Answers to survey questions to gauge buy-in tended to be limited to variations of "Love it!" and "Absolutely love it" - and the execs declared that they had been right all along. After all, the survey said so.

    2. katrinab Silver badge
      Paris Hilton

      Re: Turn the headline around.

      For me, it is cheaper to buy my own food than to pay for transport to get into the office. I imagine that is the case for a lot of people.

  4. The Original Steve

    Flexibility?

    How is having three strictly defined options, sanctioned by your manager flexible?

    Flexibility is saying "come in or stay home, whichever works best for you - however your manager reserves the final decision if we think you're taking the piss", no?

    I'm one of the few who actually feels somewhat short changed by the WFH "revolution". My previous job was usually 4 days on a client site, 1 day WFH however if I needed too I could WFH or I could work all 5 (or sometimes more!) days onsite. Went to my actual company office for a total of 4 days in 2 years and that includes my 2 day mandatory induction. WFH for a week when you are report writing or being in the client's office for a full week during a project kick off where you generally decide (with your clients agreement) seems perfect in my opinion. YMMY of course.

    Hence WFH exclusively has been something of a negative to me personally, but I appreciate I'm in the minority on this one given my "privileged" prior working arrangements.

    1. LovesTha

      Re: Flexibility?

      Forced long term WFH proved to me that I *could* do it, so now the perks of getting to do it when it suits is going to be awesome.

      It's also demonstrated to employers that were reluctant that it does work. So I'm going to be very wary of anyone who has irrational rules prohibiting it in the future.

    2. Oh Matron!

      Re: Flexibility?

      Come the revolution, you'll all be eating fillet steak

      But what if I don't want fillet steak?

      Come the revolution, you WILL be eating filet steak.

      I'm fortunate to work for a company that has embraced the "Work from wherever so long as you don't take the pith"

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Office: Better Than Home?

    I know if I was living in a tiny shoebox in Mountain View or Sunnyvale I'd rather spend most of my working days at the office too.

  6. andy k O'Croydon
    Paris Hilton

    Googlers?

    Shirley they would be Oompa Loompas, to remain consistent with El Reg nomenclature. Or has this been addressed in previous articles?

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Remind me not to apply to work at Google

    It is not possible to tell from this article if there was any consultation but given their anti onion stance I suspect not.

    1. O RLY
      Pint

      Re: Remind me not to apply to work at Google

      I know you meant "union", but I am just picturing Larry and Sergei destroying onions in the style of Regular Ordinary Swedish Meal Time:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEZVdxhB9J8

      Hacka Löken!

      Beer because Friday.

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