The issue of remote working has divided experts, employers, and workers with some arguing that the advantages of working from home outweigh the disadvantages. — Photo by Ludovic MARIN/AFP
LONDON: Google is offering on-campus hotel stays to encourage employees to return to the office as the world emerges from the work-from-home era.
The tech giant is offering its workers discounted hotel stays for US$99 (about RM452) per night at its 42-acre Bay View campus in Mountain View, California, in an effort to "make it easier for Googlers to transition to the hybrid workplace." The company said: "Just imagine no commute to the office in the morning and instead, you could have an extra hour of sleep and less friction.
"Next, you could walk out of your room and quickly grab a delicious breakfast or get a workout in before work starts." The offer, which is publicized internally, is valid until the end of September for full-time employees only.
Google added that the US$99 (RM452) Summer Special does not qualify as a travel expense so Googlers have to pay for it themselves, using their personal credit cards.
Some employees expressed mixed feelings about the move in an internal forum viewed by CNBC, with one writing: "Now I can give some of my pay back to Google." Others believed that the offer was actually a good deal, as the price was comparable to what they already paid in rent in the San Francisco area.
One employee remarked: "I pay more for my apartment, and I get a lot less in return." Google's offer of on-campus hotel stays comes as companies continue to struggle to lure employees back to the office.
The issue of remote working has divided experts, employers, and workers with some arguing that the advantages of working from home outweigh the disadvantages.
Elon Musk, CEO at X, in November converted several office workspaces into "hotel bedrooms" so that "tired employees" could sleep in the office "until our org is fixed." – Arab News, Jeddah/Tribune News Service
