Google lets employees work from home until at least next summer

(Gray News) – Google is telling its employees they can work from home until about this time next year.

CNN Business obtained an employee memo that outlines the plan.

“To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we’ll be extending our global voluntary work from home option through June 30, 2021, for roles that don’t need to be in the office,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote.

"I hope this will offer the flexibility you need to balance work with taking care of yourselves and your loved ones over the next 12 months."

The move makes the tech giant the first major U.S. corporation to set such an extended timeline.

Google appears to be bracing itself for a long pandemic and that could prompt other businesses to follow suit.

The decision is said to impact most of the company’s roughly 200,000 full-time and contract employees.

Separately, Facebook, Twitter and Shopify have all said that some employees can work from home permanently.

Copyright 2020 Gray Media Group, Inc. CNN contributed to this report. All rights reserved.