Google delays its January office return

Google is pushing back its return-to-office date again.

Jan. 10 was the date when Google had expected to start calling employees back to the office three days a week.

Although more than 90% of Google’s offices have already reopened, the company said Thursday that it would allow for continued remote work pending “local conditions” of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company hasn't set a new return date, but said it would notify employees "when there's more to share on timelines."

“We’re giving employees who welcome the chance to come into the office the option to do that wherever we can, while allowing those who aren’t ready to keep working from home,” the company said in an emailed statement.

Google wouldn't say whether the new COVID-19 omicron variant was the cause for the delay.

There's been more interest in returning to the office lately, Google said. Almost 40% of Googlers have gone into the office in the last few weeks.

A number of tech companies have pegged January as the date they’ll call employees back to the office, including Amazon, Meta, Salesforce and Uber.

Meta spokesperson Chloe Meyere told Protocol on Wednesday that the parent company of Facebook had not changed its January return date. On Thursday, Dell Technologies told employees that it would reopen all of its remaining sites on Jan. 4 “for those who need or want to work on-site.”