Google giving $1,600 bonuses to employees worldwide
(The Hill) — Google said it will distribute one-time bonuses of $1,600 to employees this month amid the tech giant’s decision to postpone a plan to return to the office, according to Reuters.
A Google spokesperson told the newswire the bonuses will be given to the company’s extended workforce and interns as well.
The spokesperson for Google told the news source that the bonus is in addition to the company’s work-from-home allowance and well-being bonuses to aid in the difficult time during a pandemic that has lasted almost two years.
A survey conducted by the company in March had shown a drop in well-being among its workers, prompting Google to announce a series of benefits including a $500 cash bonus.
It is unclear the total amount that Google has set aside for the bonuses this year.
The new payment comes amid the company delaying its initial return-to-office plan indefinitely due to concerns of the omicron variant spread and some employees refusing to follow its vaccine mandate, Reuters reported.
The omicron variant, first detected in South Africa, has spread to tens of countries including the United States. Initial reports from public health experts say that the variant is not as severe as the delta variant that ripped through the globe over the summer.
“It’s too early to be able to determine the precise severity of disease but inklings that we are getting, and we must remember these are still in the form of anecdotal … but it appears that with the cases that are seen, we are not seeing a very severe profile of disease,” U.S. top infectious disease doctor Anthony Fauci said during a White House briefing this week.
Google was originally expected to return to the office on Jan. 10.
The Hill has reached out to Google for more information.