Google has already looked into more flexible offices that reduce risk and enable remote working, such as office booths for online sessions and outdoor spaces for larger corporate meetings.
Google has repeatedly pushed back its office return strategy. It was optimistic about a return to work as early as July 2020, but postponed it until September, then January 2021 and more recently July 2021. The new timeline is an acknowledgment that the recovery can take a long time, and that it may not take . be safe until most or all employees have taken a vaccine.
The remote work plan is not the most ambitious. Companies such as Twitter let employees work from home indefinitely, while Shopify and others have indicated that most employees will work remotely by default. However, Google is clearly bigger than both, and what it does could set an example for other companies considering how to resume office work.