Google is now making office presence part of employee performance reviews

Google now links office attendance to performance reviews, but the union denounced the company’s “working conditions,” saying the building doesn’t have enough desks.

Google forced its employees into a hybrid work schedule in April 2022 and is now linking those three mandatory days in the office to their performance appraisals, it announced shortly before 8 p.m. on June 7.

“We want Googlers to connect face-to-face and collaborate, so we limit remote work to exceptions,” said spokesman Ryan Lamont. Fortune.

Most employees are already following the three-day hybrid schedule, according to an internal email viewed by the Wall Street Journal.

“We’ve heard from Googlers that those who are in the office at least three days a week feel more connected to other Googlers, and that this effect is enhanced when teammates work in the same location,” wrote Fiona Cicconi, Chief People Officer. . “Of course not everyone believes in ‘magic hallway conversations’, but there’s no doubt that working together in the same room makes a positive difference.”

The IT giant did not specify how attendance would affect ratings. DailyMail.com has contacted Google for comment.

Googlers are not happy with the decision and the Alphabet Workers Union released a statement saying the company failed to offer good working conditions.

“So many Googlers enjoy our office and our hybrid culture because it allows us to do our best work. The real problem is the fact that we have no meaningful agency regarding our working conditions,” the union wrote in a statement.

‘We have maintained the quality performance with flexible office visits.’

Chris Schmidt, a software engineer and union member, argued that employee professionalism was ignored “overnight” in favor of “ambiguous attendance tracking practices linked to our performance evaluations.”

The union argued that some teams would not have anyone to work with in the office and that the New York City office cannot hold an entire team of people.

“A uniform policy will not solve these circumstances,” he said. “We deserve a voice in shaping the policies that affect our lives to establish clear, transparent and fair working conditions for all of us.”

Googlers aren’t happy and the Alphabet Workers Union released a statement saying the company failed to offer good benefits, such as not enough desks in its New York office

Chris Schmidt, a software engineer and union member, argued that employee professionalism was ignored “overnight” in favor of “ambiguous attendance tracking practices associated with our performance reviews” (photo: union members)

A spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that the company was integrating the hybrid model into its “workplace policy,” as it has been using it for “more than a year.”

“Our hybrid approach is designed to combine the best of in-person gatherings with the benefits of working from home for part of the week,” said a spokesperson.

Google is the latest company to tighten up remote work, following Disney, Starbucks and Amazon.

Amazon called its employees back in February and said it’s “easier to learn, model, practice and reinforce our culture when we’re mostly in the office together and surrounded by our colleagues.”

However, employees are fed up and walked out last week with signs that read, “I hate commuting,” among other things.