Google’s latest attempt to get employees back to the office is strange, to say the least, offering staff a $99/night hotel stay on-campus.
Like many companies, Google is increasingly pressuring its employees to return to the office, but its latest effort is one of the strangest. According to CNBC, the company is offering employees a “Summer Special,” giving them the “opportunity” to book a room at the on-campus hotel for $99 a night.
“Just imagine no commute to the office in the morning and instead, you could have an extra hour of sleep and less friction,” reads the promotional material CNBC reviewed. “Next, you could walk out of your room and quickly grab a delicious breakfast or get a workout in before work starts.”
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Needless to say, the offer is not being well-received by many employees.
“Now I can give some of my pay back to Google,” wrote an employee on the company’s internal forums.
Another employee joked it would disrupt work-life balance, while another posted a Mean Girls meme where Lindsey Lohan’s character says, “No, thank you.”
Others thought the idea had promise but felt Google’s pricing was off.
“I would’ve totally done it, had it fit a certain profile: $3k rent all-in, fully-furnished, unlimited meals, paid utilities, plus housekeeping/cleaning every day,” another person wrote.
Google’s offer is the latest demonstration of just how far companies are willing to go to get employees back in the office, despite evidence showing that RTO mandates have been detrimental to the very companies employing them.