Google employees will not be compelled to return to the office five days a week if they maintain their productivity, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has pledged.
Speaking at Google’s recent “TGIF” all-hands meeting, Pichai and John Cassey, vice president of Global Compensation and Benefits, sought to assuage fears that Google would not follow the lead of Amazon in mandating employees return to the office five days a week.
According to Cassey, there are no plans to change Google’s three-day in-office policy, although Pichai stressed that maintaining productivity on work-from-home days is crucial for this policy to remain in place.
In a memo sent Sept. 16, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced that all employees will have to return to office five days a week starting January 2025.
It is a decision that was not well-received by Amazon employees. A survey by professional social network Blind found that 91% of Amazon employees are dissatisfied with the RTO mandate, with 73% saying they are considering looking for another job.
RTO backlash at Amazon a reminder to consider employee needs
The backlash from Amazon employees on the RTO mandate is perhaps a timely reminder for organizations to consider the needs and wants of employees before making unilateral decisions.
For Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Singapore, the desire to enable employees to balance both work and home priorities is continuing to drive its flexible work strategy, which forms part of a holistic offering of initiatives that support the health and wellbeing of employees.
Shaun Ee, cluster head of people, The Heineken Company, told HRM Asia, “We recognize that for a total wellbeing strategy to be successful, it must support the growth and purpose of our people and our business. With the global business landscape returning to a robust place and ways of working resuming pre-pandemic styles, we decided to maintain our flexible work arrangement and yet transitioned from working three days in the office to four days earlier this year.”
This decision, says Ee, stems from a collective belief that the workplace is more than just a physical space. Instead, employees see it as a hub of inspiration, where they can come together to collaborate and innovate, where ideas flow, relationships strengthen and the unique culture of Heineken comes to life.
To enable the RTO experience to remain positive and position APB Singapore as a great place to work, leadership continues to focus on strengthening wellbeing initiatives.
“These include maintaining email silence on weekends, removing meetings during lunchtime and on Friday afternoons, and providing door-to-door shuttle services for our employees,” says Ee.
A broader definition of flexibility
As the largest power generation company in Singapore, hybrid work has not been an easy ride for Senoko Energy. Despite the challenges, the company has leveraged technology to support employees who are not required to be on site to adapt and be equally productive working from home.
Joey Kwek, head of Division, HR & Corporate Services at Senoko Energy, explains, “We ensure that flexibility and productivity go hand in hand by setting clear goals and expectations, focusing on results and maintaining open communication.”
Senoko Energy’s definition of hybrid work also extends beyond just working from home. For instance, plant employees work on a shift basis and must be physically present, so a “Shift Change” policy allows them to swap shifts with members of other teams.
“In addition, we are already practicing flexible work arrangements by reviewing our employees’ needs on a case-by-case basis,” says Kwek. “One of the outcomes is letting some of our employees work part-time. This gives them the flexibility to tend to personal commitments without compromising business needs.”
No matter what work arrangement organizations choose to implement, open communication with employees to understand their concerns and preferences will be key to its successful implementation. After all, as Kwek says, employees remain the best asset of any organization.
“By supporting hybrid work and [flexible work arrangements], we enable employees to take care of the many priorities they have in both their professional and personal lives. It also creates an environment that helps us retain top talent and attract new ones.”
Shawn Liew wrote this story for HRM Asia. Find more from this author at HRMAsia.com
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