Google to Give a $1,600 Bonus to Employees Worldwide in Response to Covid-19

Google annouced that it will give an additional bonus of $1,600, or its equivalent, to staff members across the globe this month. All employees, including interns and the tech giant's extended workforce, will be eligible to receive the one-time cash bonus, a company spokesperson told Reuters. 

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The additional bonus comes as many employees continue to struggle in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. In March, an internal company survey revealed that its employees' wellbeing had dropped over the past year, and Google has tried to lessen the burden on its staff with work-from-home allowances and $500 wellbeing bonuses. The company spokesperson did not specify how much Google has reserved in total for its employee-wellness efforts. 

In early March 2020, Google advised all of its employees in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa to work from home. Since then, the company has planned for an eventual hybrid schedule, which would require employees to come into the office three days a week. 

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But plans for that hybrid model continue to be postponed. Last week, Google moved its return-to-office date yet again in response to the fast-spreading Omicron variant; now, the full reopening, which was scheduled for Jan. 10, has been pushed indefinitely into 2022, as experts stress ongoing uncertainty surrounding the virus.