Google offices to gradually start reopening

Will give staff US$1000 for home office setup.

Alphabet Inc’s Google said on Tuesday it would reopen buildings in more cities at roughly 10 percent of their capacity beginning July 6 and scale it up to 30 percent in September, if conditions permit.

Google and its peer Facebook had allowed their employees to work from home in early March following tough government-mandated restrictions to contain the coronavirus.

Google said on Tuesday it would give each employee an allowance of US$1,000, or the equivalent value in their country, to expense necessary equipment and office furniture, as it expects most of them to largely work from home for the remainder of the year.

There are a limited number of employees whose roles are needed back in the office this year and they would return on a limited, rotating basis, chief executive officer Sundar Pichai said in a blog post.