Google encourages its employees to adopt hybrid work schedules by promoting discounted hotel rates at its on-campus accommodations. According to internal company materials viewed by CNBC, Google offers stays at its Bay View, California campus hotel for just $99 per night.
The tech giant started requiring workers to come into physical offices at least three days per week in 2022. Google has continued to push for more in-person work, recently updating its policy to include badge tracking and making office attendance a factor in performance reviews.
Google"s Bay View campus opened last year as part of the company"s 42-acre development in Mountain View, California. The hotel has a capacity for 4,000 Google workers and provides amenities like breakfast. The $99 nightly rate is being offered until September 30.
While framed as a perk, some employees have mixed feelings about essentially paying their employer for lodging. "Now I can give some of my pay back to Google," one worker wrote on an internal forum. Another pointed out that discounted rate is less than the median for one-bedroom apartments in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Google maintains that the hotel deal is a regular perk to "take advantage of our spaces and amenities," according to spokesperson Ryan Lamont. The company says it routinely offers employee discounts on services, entertainment, and accommodations.
That"s not the only interesting thing Google has been offering lately. We"ve seen that Google is starting a pilot program where a number of its employees will do their work but not have direct access to the outside Internet on their work desktop PCs.
We also reported in May that San Francisco authorities were investigating Elon Musk for turning Twitter"s headquarters into a hotel. The former employees alleged that Musk"s team instructed staff to turn off lights and install non-compliant locks in employee bedrooms.
On the other hand, the company made the decision in January to reduce its workforce by 12,000 people. This is roughly 6% of its total headcount. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said he is taking full responsibility for the difficult decision, emphasizing that it will weigh heavily on him.