Alphabet Inc., parent company of Google, recently announced it has saved more than $1 billion as a result of allowing its employees to work remotely. The company said it saved $268 million on travel, promotional, and entertainment costs in its most recent quarter, compared to the same period a year earlier—or $1 billion in savings on an annualized basis.
The global pandemic prompted several tech giants to allow their employees to work remotely indefinitely. In July 2020, Google became the first major company to announce it would offer employees the option to work remotely through mid-2021, extending its prior timeline. In September 2020, the company revealed that it had begun working on a “hybrid” work model.
Not only has remote work saved Google over $1 billion, but it also allowed the firm to make significant investments in company growth. The company said the savings offset the costs of hiring several thousand more workers.
Building on its remote success
Google is capitalizing on its success with remote work by adopting a hybrid work model. The company will now allow around 20 percent of its employees to work from home permanently. Google expects about 60 percent of its employees to work in the office for “a few days a week,” while the remaining 20 percent work on-premise. What’s more, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, in an email to employees, wrote that the company plans to develop several more remote roles and all-remote sub-teams.
Anoushka is a writer, editor, and former ESL Instructor who has worked with Fortune 200 companies in India, Japanese MNCs, and award-winning production houses.
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