Google will reportedly require its cloud workers and their partners to share desks and work alternating shifts at the beginning of the next fiscal quarter. The company will cite "real estate efficiency" as the reason for the change, CNBC reported.
In an internal FAQ recently shared with cloud employees and viewed by CNBC, the company explained why the new desk-sharing concept is being implemented. Apparently, this will allow the tech giant to keep investing in Cloud development in its five largest US locations: Kirkland, Washington; New York City; San Francisco; Seattle; and Sunnyvale, California.
More than a quarter of Google's full-time employees work in the cloud division, which is among the company's fastest-growing yet unprofitable business segments.
The plan acknowledged that, as a consequence, certain structures would have to be abandoned.
The New Desk-Sharing Setup
In a recent internal memo, it is said that "most Googlers will now share a desk with one other Googler," with the restriction that workers should not occupy the same workspace on consecutive days. By working together throughout the matching process, they will agree on a basic desk layout and develop conventions with their desk mate and teams to guarantee a pleasant experience in the new shared space.
In case an employee comes in on a day they are not scheduled to work, they are instructed to utilize the drop-in overflow spot.
The new office layout has been dubbed "Cloud Office Evolution" (CLOE) by the upper management, who tout it as combining the best of pre-pandemic teamwork with the flexibility of hybrid employment. As stated in the report, the new office setup is not a test run.
Google also considered information it collected internally on employees' commuting habits to and from the workplace. Notably, the corporation paused recruiting and cut 12,000 jobs in January due to lower-than-expected office return rates.
Workers began posting memes on the company's internal messaging app, Memegen, mocking the decision to relocate desks and the "corpspeak" employed by upper management to promote the move as a cost-cutting initiative.
Portion of Cost-Cutting Efforts
This change is part of Google's wider effort to reduce expenses by selling or leasing less physical space. Nevertheless, it has not yet been revealed which areas or buildings would be affected by the reduction in workforce.
In its fourth-quarter results conference, Google officials cautioned of potential future real estate penalties. They said the company expects to incur expenses of around $500 million due to decreased worldwide office space in the current quarter.
SFGate reported earlier this month that the corporation, whose headquarters are in the San Francisco Bay Area, would be terminating leases for a number of vacant premises in that city.
