As the Covid-19 pandemic ravages countries like India and Brazil, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai has announced that the company is adopting a hybrid workplace, where around 60 per cent of Googlers are coming together in the office a few days a week, another 20 per cent are working in new office locations and 20 per cent are working from home.

Pichai said that it is heartbreaking to see COVID surging in places like India, Brazil, and many others around the world.

“We’ll move to a hybrid work week where most Googlers spend approximately three days in the office and two days wherever they work best. Since in-office time will be focused on collaboration, your product areas and functions will help decide which days teams will come together in the office,” he said in a blog post late on Wednesday.

“There will also be roles that may need to be on site more than three days a week due to the nature of the work”.

“By mid-June your PAs and functions will come back with a process by which you can apply to move to another office. In granting approvals, they’ll take into account whether business goals can be met in the new location and whether your team has the right infrastructure in the site to support your work,” Pichai informed.

The company will also offer opportunities for employees to apply for completely remote work (away from team or office) based on their roles and team needs.

“As with location transfers, your leads will evaluate whether remote work can support the goals of the team and business. Whether you choose to transfer to a different office or opt for completely remote work, your compensation will be adjusted according to your new location,” Pichai noted.

Going forward, Googlers will be able to temporarily work from a location other than their main office for up to 4 weeks per year (with manager approval).

“Product areas and functions will also offer focus hours so we limit internal meetings during times when people need to head down on projects,” the Google CEO said.

The company said it will offer extra “reset” days to help employees recharge during the pandemic in 2021. The next global day off will be on May 28.

“The future of work is flexibility,” Pichai said.