Google India declares WFH until the weekend

Google India, which laid off 453 employees across all departments on Thursday night, had also circulated an email the same day to all its existing employees, asking them to work from home until Sunday (the company works Monday to Friday).

Informed sources told businessline that a mass email was sent by Sanjay Gupta, Country Head and Vice President, Google India, to employees saying it is a lot for all of us to take in. The mail accompanied the mass layoffs even as some Google executives had taken to social media platforms to vent their shock at the news. Some LinkedIn posts have been evocative of how the news has affected them.

As I reflect on the news of my departure, I realize that sometimes life has a way of throwing curveballs at us. It saddens me to leave such a fantastic team… I am available for the job. Please let me know if you know of any available Developer Advocate, Android Developer or Full Stack Developer positions, Anuj Garg said in his LinkedIn post.

Hi all, My position at Google has been impacted by the latest round of workforce shedding in the organization. So I’m looking for a new role in Product Management and would appreciate your support, said another former Googler, Arjun Naringe.

Thankfully, I’m safe this time. But I have been watching this situation closely and the uncertainty over the past 4-5 weeks has been painful. It is disheartening to see how many talented people have been affected, and only those directly affected can truly understand the hardships. I kindly invite everyone to offer their support during this difficult time, posted Jyotish Bhaskar, a software engineer at Google.

We will feel the loss of each of our team members who have left us and we will deal with it differently. To give everyone time to digest, I suggest working from home tomorrow, she said in the mail Thursday.

Gupta also assured that the company was making benefits, health services and resources available to deal with this period.

Settlement packages for affected Googlers will be personal and based on factors such as length of service. We will pay people remaining 2022 bonuses, accrued but unused vacation time, and provide assistance with health insurance, job placement services, employee assistance program (EAP) services for Googlers and their dependents, and the immigration support for those who need it, he further said in the email.

He also said that, out of respect for the privacy of the individuals concerned, Google would not share a list.

But keep in mind that your manager will be able to see if anyone is leaving your direct team and will be able to share that information with you. As they address a stricken colleague, they are likely to be going through a series of daunting emotions and conversations, let’s remember to give them space to process the news, he added.

This is the first round of layoffs at Google’s India operations after Alphabet Inc, its parent company, announced it was laying off 12,000 employees or 6% of its total workforce globally on Jan. 20.

The company is backed into the wall by stiff competition from Microsoft in developing AI-enabled search engines. In India, Google is also facing a potential threat to its existing business model after it was ordered by the Competition Commission of India to pay a 1,337.76 crore fine for abusing its dominant position in the Android ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Gupta ensured that employees receiving this mail were not part of the job cuts. If you receive this email, you can assume your role hasn’t been impacted by these changes, adding that out of respect for the privacy of affected individuals, we won’t be sharing a list.

Businessline has reached out to Google spokespersons via email and text with questions seeking comment, but has not gotten a response. TittlePress