Can’t afford to return to the office, say Google Maps contract employees

New Delhi: Contract employees at Google Maps in Washington state have circulated a petition to allow them to continue working from home because of the costs involved in commuting and low wages. This has posed yet another challenge to Google’s plan to fill offices and restore campus life,
according to a report in the New York Times.

According to a report, around 60% of Cognizant‘s more than 200 employees have signed a petition refusing to comply with a demand to work for the whole five-day workweek.

Starting June 6, these contract workers must work from the office five days a week, as per the mandate.

“Gas is around $5 per gallon currently, and many of us in the office are not able to afford to live close to the office due to our low salaries and the high cost of housing in Bothell,” the Cognizant employees wrote.

The Alphabet Workers Union, which has over 900 members working for Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and its suppliers, backed the petition.

“We’re supporting our members as they petition management for an RTO policy that is flexible, prioritizes worker safety and protects the quality of Google Maps—a product these workers love,” Alphabet Workers Union said in a tweet.

Because the employees work for Cognizant rather than Google, they are unable to take advantage of Google’s three-day workweek arrangement and are requesting the same flexibility.

Google is thought to employ over 100,000 temporary, vendor, and contract workers who work on Google projects but are officially employed by other companies.

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