Work from home has become a trend ever since the coronavirus pandemic struck. Several tech giants like Google and Facebook allowed their employees to work from remote locations as following norms of social distancing is one of the ways to keep COVID-19 at bay. But with vaccination drive picking pace and more and more people getting vaccinated, companies want people to report in offices. However, plans to call them have been again postponed amid a rising number of cases of Delta variant of COVID. Now there are reports that Google employees would see a change in their salaries if they opt for the permanent work from home option.
According to a company pay calculator, long commuters would be among the most affected. It is being done on an experimental basis but it could set the trend and other companies may follow it. Social media giant Facebook also decided to cut the salary of employees who are working from locations that are less expensive. Some smaller companies are following pay models which depend on locations. A Google spokesperson said that the company has always been giving a salary that is determined by location. “Our compensation has always been depended on the location of our employees and we pay at the top of the local market,” the spokesperson said.
According to Google’s internal salary calculator, seen by a news agency, shows that an employee working from Stamford, Connecticut is likely to get a 15 percent reduction in salary. While a colleague who will live in New York will continue to get the same pay even if he continues to work from home. Google has not clearly stated anything on this. It must be noted that several offices have openly expressed that they would their employees to come to the office. However, only those employees would be allowed to come to offices who are fully vaccinated. Several companies are encouraging their employees to get COVID-19 jabs at the earliest.
