Google Tightens “Work From Anywhere” Policy, Signaling a Broader Global Trend
Google recently announced that it will tighten its “Work From Anywhere” (WFA) policy, which was first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The policy originally allowed employees to work remotely from any location outside their primary office for up to four weeks per year.
According to an internal memo obtained by CNBC, Google employees will now have a week deducted from their annual WFA quota even if they request only one day of WFA during a standard workweek. The updated policy does not apply to all Google employees—those required to work in physical offices or data centers may be exempt. Violations of the new policy could result in disciplinary action or even termination.
In April, Google had already warned certain departments’ remote workers that they could face layoffs if they failed to comply with hybrid work arrangements, which generally require employees to be in the office at least three days a week. Some teams, following that April notice, offered voluntary resignation options to remote workers living within 50 miles of an office who refused to relocate—these measures were specific to certain departments.
Under the updated WFA policy, employees are prohibited from working in different states or countries’ Google offices during their WFA periods, due to legal and financial issues associated with cross-border work.
According to Jan Hendrik von Ahlen, Chief Technology Officer at German job platform JobLeads, less than 6% of U.S. job listings in its database of over 12 million positions are fully remote, and fewer than 7% are hybrid. Nearly 88% of positions still require on-site work—a figure similar to pre-pandemic levels.
As many large employers continue to tighten flexible work policies introduced during the pandemic, Google’s latest move reflects a broader global trend. Such changes could have a significant impact on employee morale and retention, particularly among high-performing employees who had come to value flexible work options—potentially leading to higher attrition rates within this group.
