Alphabet Inc’s Google said it is offering free and weekly at-home COVID-19 testing for all its U.S. employees and plans to expand the benefit globally during the next year. A Google spokesman said the company had rolled out the benefit this week for all 90,000 U.S. employees, with the initiative guaranteeing them a weekly, at-home nasal swab and a lab analysis.
The offer proved so popular that Google’s internal website for it crashed shortly after going live Thursday. Employees at Google’s flagship search properties, as well as company arms including YouTube, Google X, fibre internet and artificial intelligence, all have access to the testing. International Google employees will be offered access starting next year. While other companies, ranging from Tyson Foods Inc. to Delta Air Lines Inc., have begun testing staff who report on-site, Google’s appears to be the largest yet aimed at employees stuck at home since March. Google staff since that time has been under a work-from-home order, recently extended to September 2021.
As part of the plan, Google’s employees would be expected to work at least three days a week in the office while working from home the other days, the newspaper report said. “We are testing a hypothesis that a flexible work model will lead to greater productivity, collaboration, and well-being,” Pichai wrote in the email. Google was one of the first companies to ask its employees to work from home due to the pandemic. It has previously delayed the timing by when the employees should return to the office from January next year to July.
As part of its more flexible workplaces, Google said it planned to put in place new office designs in areas with lower coronavirus risk. It plans to offer options to employees like booking collaboration places for up to a dozen people and securing outdoor spaces for larger gatherings. For employees in need of a quiet space outside the home, Google will offer reservable desks at its offices.
Google also said it planned to keep developing new ways to help employees bridge the gap between the experience of working at the office and working from home, especially for employees who may not live in places well suited for remote work. The company said it was creating in-office presentation booths for sending professional-quality broadcasts to groups online.
