In a recent company-wide meeting, Google CEO Sundar Pichai defended the corporate’s latest policy on desk sharing for workers. According to Pichai, the corporate strives for efficiency and cost-effectiveness and needs to make proper use of accessible resources.
CNBC obtained a recording of a gathering where Pichai said Google’s offices were virtually empty. “By the way in which, there are people,” said the CEO, “who routinely complain that they are available and there are big swaths of empty desks and it seems like a ghost town – it’s just not a pleasant experience.”
Desk sharing is a component of a downsizing called Cloud Office Evolution. CNBC reported at CLOE in February, detailing Google’s plans to ask Cloud employees and partners to share desks at its largest branch offices.
During the meeting, Pichai mentioned that many employees only come to the office two days per week, which is an inefficient use of the present space. He also stressed that the corporate should manage its financial resources well and watch out the way it thinks about real estate, because Google has expensive (and expansive) real estate.
At the identical meeting where Pichai raised the subject of desk sharing, Google Cloud’s vice chairman of strategy and operations, Anas Osman, reported that a few third of employees were in the corporate’s offices as much as 4 days per week. In addition, employees said they experienced significantly higher collaboration when allocated office days, even when factoring in shared desk rotation.
Responding to comments from concerned employees through the meeting on various issues – including how Google communicated its desk sharing policy to the whole company – Pichai confirmed the feedback and said the feedback is vital.
