January 17, 2022

Google has announced plans to expand its capacity in the U.K. by 50% to “reinvigorate” the working environment.

In his remarks, Google’s U.K. managing director Ronan Harris said the investment meant the company remained a firm believer in the office as a workplace.

Part of the investment will include the purchase of the Central Saint Giles site and the renovation of the offices to create more space.

The office refurbishment will create collaboration rooms and “inclusive meeting rooms for hybrid working” as well as covered outdoor workplaces, and the number of employees will be increased from 6,400 to 10,000.

“We want to reinvigorate the work environment. We’re making this commitment to rebuild. We’re buying these buildings and we’re keen to see everybody come back in and see a vibrant workspace again,”

Many Google employees remain skeptical about returning to the office, even if Google fully supports in-person work.

Commenting on Google’s plan for remote and in-person work, Harris said, “I think the next two [years] will be an experiment where we try and figure out what hybrid and flexible actually mean. And I think it will differ from company to company and from role to role. I think it’ll be a lot of trial and error over the next two years.”

For more information, read the original story on the BBC.