Laurence Malcom
What does it take to return to the office? Google seems to think that free electric scooters are the answer.
After nearly two years of With remote and hybrid work, Google is preparing to bring its American employees back to the office this week.
Google is best known for employee perks that include free shuttle bus services for its Silicon Valley employees, but the company is going a step further and offering free electric bikes.
The tech giant is said to be partnering with e-scooter maker Unagi to launch a new program called ‘Ride Scoot’ through which most Google workers in the US could be reimbursed for the full cost of a monthly subscription to Unagi’s Model One scooter.
The Model One, which retails for $990 (£754), is a lightweight, twin-motor scooter with a top speed of 32 km/h and a range of 24 km.
David Heymann, founder and CEO of Unagi, told The Verge that the idea was to help Google employees get to work or even just the nearest bus stop.
“They know there are concerns among the staff,” Heymann said. People are really used to working from home. And they’re just trying to do everything they can to improve the comeback experience,”
As part of the incentive, Google employees must also use the scooter for at least nine trips per month to receive full compensation for their $49 (£37) monthly subscription.
The feature was announced for Google’s US offices in Mountain View, Seattle, Kirkland, Irvine, Sunnyvale, Playa Vista, Austin and New York.
In January, Google announced it was spending 730 million pounds ($1 billion) to “revitalize” its UK offices as it expected the number of employees to rise from 6,400 to 10,000.
In the UK, Google is expanding its capacity by 50%, with the purchase of a London campus in central St Giles which will reportedly include quiet areas, seating areas, collaboration teams and covered outdoor workspaces so employees can work outdoors.
The search giant is very supportive of returning to the office with these worldwide investments.
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