Google sticks with plan to bring most employees back to office

Google, which practically invented the luxury Silicon Valley campus, is being closely watched as it transitions away from remote work and back to office life.

Google software engineers reported something in a recent survey that surprised higher-ups: they felt as productive working from home as they did before the pandemic. Internal research at the Alphabet Inc. unit also showed that employees want more “collaboration and social connections” at work, according to Brian Welle, a human resources vice president. Welle declined to provide exact figures but said “more than 75%” of surveyed employees answered this way. Most staff also specifically craved physical proximity when working on new projects. “There’s something about innovative work — when you need that spark,” Welle said in an interview. “Our employees feel like those moments happen better when they’re together.”