Google has decided that its 200,000 employees should work from home through June 2021.
The remote-work order issued Monday by Google CEO Sundar Pichai also affects other companies owned by Google’s corporate parent, Alphabet. It marks a six-month extension of Google’s previous plan to keep most of its offices closed through the rest of this year.
“I know this extended timeline may come with mixed emotions and I want to make sure you’re taking care of yourselves,” wrote Pichai, in an email to employees.
The prolonged lockdown of Google’s offices could influence other major employers to take similar precautions.