Google Follows Microsoft with Harsher Remote Work Restrictions

Google has officially introduced new restrictions to its “Work From Anywhere” (WFA) policy — just one month after another tech giant and hybrid working stalwart, Microsoft, mandated that employees must return to the office for at least three days per week.

Established during the Covid pandemic, the WFA policy has allowed Google employees to work from a remote location for up to four weeks per calendar year. However, working remotely for either a single day or five days will now count as a full week.

While Google has not altered its current hybrid working model, this reduction could signal that the company plans to make further changes to its remote work policy in future.

Google Rolls Back “Work From Anywhere” Policy

Google is officially making changes its “Work From Anywhere” (WFA) policy. Up until now, employees have been entitled to four weeks of working from anywhere per calendar year. But as per new limits, working remotely for even a single day will now count as a full week.

According to a document seen by CNBC, “whether you log 1 WFA day or 5 WFA days in a given standard work week, 1 WFA week will be deducted from your WFA balance.” While not a total reversal on the policy, the new limits would seem to discourage employees from taking multiple standalone WFA days.

When asked to clarify the slightly confusing new position by CNBC, John Casey, vice president of performance and rewards at Google, claimed that WFA “was meant to meet Googlers where they were during the pandemic. The policy was always intended to be taken in increments of a week and not be used as a substitute for working from home in a regular hybrid work week.”

At this point in time, the company states it has no plans to alter its current hybrid schedule, which mandates that employees must be in the office at least three days per week. WFA is distinct from this policy, which also came into effect during the Covid pandemic.

Google Joins Microsoft in Curbing Remote Work Freedoms

With this news, Google becomes the second major tech company to introduce new restrictions to its existing remote working policy in the space of a month. A few weeks ago, Microsoft announced that it was to bring its employees back to the office three days per week, with the mandate happening in three phases, beginning on February 23, 2026.

Earlier this year, meanwhile, Amazon officially ended its remote working arrangements, mandating that all employees must return to the office on a full-time basis.

For Google employees who enjoy the freedoms of flexible working, the writing has been on the wall for some time. The company began offering employees voluntary redundancy at the start of the year, while also notifying fully remote workers that their jobs might be at risk if they didn’t start adhering to a hybrid working model.

Is This the Precursor to a Full Return-to-Office Mandate?

Google employees would be forgiven for thinking that further changes are on the horizon. An increase in the number of in-office days is one of the telltale signs that your company might be about to bring you back to the office full-time, and as covered above, other firms from across the tech sector have introduced their own mandates in recent months.

With businesses increasingly looking to downsize in favor of AI automation, it’s possible that senior leaders will come to regard office attendance as essential for the remaining human workforce. This would be in spite of mounting evidence that hybrid working is better for morale, productivity, and company revenue.