13 votes

Google's 'hypocritical' remote work policies anger employees, after a senior executive announced he's moving to New Zealand in what some workers consider special treatment

Posted by spit-evil-olive-tips
Tags: work.remote, google, offices, usa, new zealand, management, employees, business, author.richard nieva, source.cnet
https://www.cnet.com/news/googles-hypocritical-remote-work-policies-anger-employees/

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Title
Google's 'hypocritical' remote work policies anger employees
Authors
Richard Nieva
Published
Jul 8 2021
Word count
1883 words

5 comments

  1. [3]
    unknown user
    Link
    I would love to know how he's "planning to move to New Zealand", given he's a non-citizen, and we're not letting anyone without citizenship or residency enter the country for the foreseeable...

    I would love to know how he's "planning to move to New Zealand", given he's a non-citizen, and we're not letting anyone without citizenship or residency enter the country for the foreseeable future; or whether he—or his employer—is planning to request a special exemption for this purpose, a policy many in New Zealand dislike and think should be shut down.

    Managed quarantine spots are in short supply, and a foreigner attempting to acquire one for the purposes of what is essentially a holiday is not a good look when residents and citizens are still returning home.

    8 votes
    1. Greg
      Link Parent
      Whilst it's not a reality I particularly like, you can do almost anything with sufficient money. Looks like this dude was one of the first ten or so employees at Google, so we're talking hundreds...

      Whilst it's not a reality I particularly like, you can do almost anything with sufficient money. Looks like this dude was one of the first ten or so employees at Google, so we're talking hundreds of millions in personal net worth, plus the ability to call on the might of a trillion dollar company to pull strings and make things happen.

      Even if they can't get the company lawyers to conjure a reason that it's essential for him to be there, NZ has an investment visa program starting at NZ$3m. As with most countries, you can pretty much just get citizenship thrown in for free if you buy a nice enough house.

      10 votes
    2. skybrian
      Link Parent
      Looks like New Zealand is at about 15% vaccinated. We may not know the date, but it seems like restrictions will get eased eventually after vaccinations are further along?

      Looks like New Zealand is at about 15% vaccinated. We may not know the date, but it seems like restrictions will get eased eventually after vaccinations are further along?

      3 votes
  2. spit-evil-olive-tips
    Link

    The rancor intensified last week, when Urs Hölzle, one of the company's longest-tenured and most senior executives, announced plans to work remotely from New Zealand, according to an email he sent to employees that was viewed by CNET. Hölzle's plans angered rank-and-file workers, who consider it special treatment for company leadership, while lower-level employees have had to wade through a drawn-out and uncertain application process.

    News of Hölzle's relocation especially stung because he has been particularly vocal against remote work, employees said. De Vesine, the resigning Googler, said Hölzle had a policy of not letting people work remotely unless they were assigned to an office and that he wouldn't consider remote work for people who hadn't reached a certain level of seniority.

    5 votes
  3. skybrian
    Link
    Google has always been pretty inflexible about this. I used to work with people in the Atlanta office, and when Google decided to close that office, they had to move to another city where Google...

    Google has always been pretty inflexible about this. I used to work with people in the Atlanta office, and when Google decided to close that office, they had to move to another city where Google has an office or quit.

    On the other hand, they got plenty of time to figure out what they wanted to do.

    3 votes