Feb 25, 2023 12:30:00

Google introduced a ``desk sharing model'' that uses one desk shared by multiple employees to reduce costs

From the second quarter of 2023 (April-June), Google plans to require employees in the cloud department to share one desk with multiple people for the reason of 'real estate efficiency'. CNBC reports that it does.

Google asks some employees to share desks amid office downsizing

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/22/google-asks-some-employees-to-share-desks-amid-office-downsizing.html

Google has gotten so cheap, employees now have to share desks | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/02/google-has-gotten-so-cheap-employees-now-have-to-share-desks/

According to an internal Google document obtained by CNBC, Google's cloud division, Google Cloud, has five locations in the United States, Kirkland, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Sunnyvale, California. A new model of 'sharing and using the desk' will be adopted. Google explains the reason for adopting the desk sharing model as 'to continue investing in the growth of the cloud.' By adopting a desk-sharing model, Google will vacate part of the office, making it possible to reduce rental costs.

The internal document says, ``Currently, most Google employees share a desk with one other employee,'' and you can see that Google already shares desks between employees. . 'Through the matching process, employees agree on a basic desk setup, establish norms with their desk partners and teams, and ensure they have a positive experience in their new shared environment.' that's right.

Multiple employees can share a desk because each employee comes to work on a different day. In the desk-sharing model, employees who share the desk will be assigned a day to come to work (two days a week) and a day to work remotely (three days a week). Specifically, it seems that it will be divided into a group that goes to work on 'Monday and Wednesday' and a group that goes to work on 'Tuesday and Thursday'. However, even if you come to work when you are not scheduled to work, you can still work in an open space called 'Overflow drop-in space'.

Google's internal document titles the new seating arrangement 'Cloud Office Evolution (CLOE)' and describes it as 'the best combination of flexibility and pre-pandemic collaboration.' It seems that the desk sharing model is not a temporary trial operation, and it is appealing that it will lead to more efficient use of our office space.

In addition, Google wrote that the desk sharing model was ``decided in consideration of employees who have not returned to the office due to the pandemic of the new coronavirus,'' but

the large-scale personnel reduction that took place in January 2023 CNBC points out that it does.

In response to Google's roundabout explanation of the reduction in office space, the company said, ``We don't have to tinker as if all cost-cutting measures are good for our employees. We will reduce the office space for the sake of our customers.”

In response to CNBC's report, a Google spokesperson said, ``Google Cloud employees value the option of coming into the office and collaborating face-to-face while working from home several days a week. We have developed a new rotation model based on , which combines the best of pre-pandemic collaboration with the flexibility and focus that remote work has come to appreciate, making office space more efficient. It is something that can be used for

In addition, in the earnings report for the fourth quarter (October to December) of 2022, Google will reduce its global office space in the first quarter (January to March) of 2023, resulting in about 500 million dollars ( 68 billion yen).