Google will now track employee badges for office attendance

It’s no secret that Google’s new return-to-office policy hasn’t had the best adoption from its employees who have become accustomed to working from home. However, the company’s recent announcement that it will now track employee badges to monitor office attendance and consider in-person presence in performance evaluations has caused confusion and frustration among Google employees, leading to mixed messaging within the company.

According to CNBC, dissatisfied employees expressed their discontent on Google’s internal site, Memegen, with many stating that the company is treating them like schoolchildren. Furthermore, this move has also raised concerns among employees who have recently relocated to different cities and states after Google approved their requests to work remotely. This is because employees who previously had approval for full remote work may face a reevaluation of their status under the new policy.

In classic fashion, many employees also shared memes to express their frustrations, with one popular meme depicting the head of human resources, Fiona Cicconi, standing in front of a school chalkboard with the caption, “If you cannot attend the office today, your parents should submit an absence request.” Another highly-rated meme reads, “Check my work, not my badge.”

Google’s reasoning for returning to the office

Fiona Cicconi, Chief People Officer, emphasized the importance of physical proximity when announcing the new policy, stating that there is simply no substitute for in-person collaboration.

“Of course, not everyone believes in ‘magical hallway conversations,’ but there’s no question that working together in the same room makes a positive difference,” said Cicconi.

However, in response to the widespread backlash, a Google spokesperson explained that they would only track employee badges in an aggregated form for company reports, and it would not be shared at an individual level. But, Google did mention that it would inform group leaders about employees who have consistently been absent from the office, allowing them to provide support in either returning to the office or exploring alternative flexible work options.