Google’s first week back in the office included marching bands, mayor visits and traffic jams

Google’s first week back in the office included marching bands, mayor visits and traffic jams


Employees are welcomed back to work with breakfast in the cafeteria at the Chicago Google offices on April 05, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. 

Scott Olson | Getty Images

Google brought employees back into the office after two years of remote work last week, and the occasion was met with everything from marching bands to visits from prominent politicians as well as increased traffic. 

Last week, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot visited Google’s Chicago offices, which house roughly 2,000 employees, according to ABC7 Chicago news. Rob Biederman, Google director of government relations, also made an appearance, as cupcakes were served.

“It’s fun to be able to meet the people I’ve been working (with) outside of Zoom,” Google software engineer Jon George told ABC7 Chicago news. “I guess we use Google chat,” he added, referring to Google’s video conferencing platform.

The festivities come after the company mandated office returns for most employees for at least three days a week starting the week of April 4. Although it is a “hybrid” work model and employees may apply for exemptions, company leadership faced pushback from employees, who cited the company’s outstanding performance during the two years of remote work, inflationary costs with commutes, and the flexibility and family time they got used to while working from home.

Employees are welcomed back to work with breakfast in the cafeteria at the Chicago Google offices on April 05, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. Google employees began returning to work in the office this week for three days a week following a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Scott Olson |  Getty Images

One employee posted a video of a marching band at Google’s office in Austin, Texas, performing to a mostly empty room.

Google’s San Francisco offices included employees at building entrances to help direct employees to their offices and answer questions. 

Google employees and Bay Area residents also reported increased traffic in the region, especially near Google’s Mountain View and Sunnyvale, California, offices.

“Crazy traffic going into Google offices as we go back to work,” one employee tweeted Tuesday with a photo of busy intersection near its Mountain View headquarters. “No parking anywhere close to the building I work in.”  

Employees are welcomed back to work with breakfast in the cafeteria at the Chicago Google offices on April 05, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. Google employees began returning to work in the office this week for three days a week following a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Scott Olson |  Getty Images

The San Francisco Bay Area has the highest concentration of Google offices, with dozens of buildings across several cities in the region, including its Mountain View headquarters. 

“On weekdays, we’re at about 20% of our prepandemic ridership numbers at the moment, but as offices keep opening up and as there’s more summer activities, and spring and summer activities going on, we expect those numbers to continue to rise,” Caltrain spokesperson Dan Lieberman told ABC7 Bay Area.

Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.





Source

Bitcoin holds above 0,000 while ether rockets to its best week since 2021
Technology

Bitcoin holds above $100,000 while ether rockets to its best week since 2021

Cryptocurrencies extended their rally to end the week, with bitcoin holding steady above the $100,000 level while ether rallied to its best week since 2021. The price of bitcoin was higher by nearly 2% at $103,144.27 on Friday, according to Coin Metrics. Earlier, it rose as high as $104,324.65, its highest level since Jan. 31. For […]

Read More
Tech’s strong ad sales are showing signs of cracking from Trump’s trade war
Technology

Tech’s strong ad sales are showing signs of cracking from Trump’s trade war

Mark Zuckerberg arrives before the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States takes place inside the Capitol Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. Kenny Holston | Via Reuters The digital advertising market was sunny enough for investors this past quarter, providing what could […]

Read More
Rippling valued at .8 billion as HR software startup raises 0 million, says IPO not imminent
Technology

Rippling valued at $16.8 billion as HR software startup raises $450 million, says IPO not imminent

From left, Parker Conrad, co-founder and CEO of Rippling, and Kleiner Perkins investor Ilya Fushman speak at the venture firm’s Fellows Founders Summit in San Francisco in September 2022. Rippling Human resources software startup Rippling said Friday that its valuation has swelled to $16.8 billion in its latest fundraising round. The company raised $450 million […]

Read More