Companies are rethinking their plans to send workers back to the office as the new omicron variant adds another level of uncertainty.
FILE - People walk by a Google sign on the company's campus in Mountain View, Calif., on Sept. 24, 2019. Google and Ford Co. are among those once again delaying their return-to-office plans, while other businesses whose workers are already back to the office are considering adding extra precautions like masks and doing COVID-19 testing.
Janelle Gale, vice president of human resources for Meta, said the latest decision recognizes “some aren’t quite ready to come back.” The delayed plans are yet another blow to already struggling restaurants, bars, dry cleaners and other businesses that rely on office workers as patrons. Particularly hard-hit are those in downtown or midtown areas of cities like New York dominated by office buildings that remain largely empty.officials say early indications suggest omicron may be less dangerous than delta, which continues to fuel hospitalizations.
This summer, Girard's company aimed for a mandatory hybrid work plan to start in fall, but delta pushed back those plans to early next year. Now, omicron has her reconsidering not only those plans but whether employees should return at all. She renewed the office lease last year but said she's rethinking the physical office space.
“My first and foremost job is to protect all my staff,” Swig said. “I am going to err on the side of caution.”
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