Why these employees working on Google Maps don’t want to come back to office

TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: May 26, 2022, 07:47AM IST

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Why these employees working on Google Maps dont want to come back to office

NEW DELHI: Some Google Maps contract workers seem to be unhappy with the company's return to office mandate. According to a report in The New York Times, roughly 60% of the more than 200 employees at outsource firm Cognizant have signed a petition refusing to comply with a requirement to be in the office all five working days. These employees are working at Bothell, a city in the US state of Washington.

As per the mandate, these contract workers are required to work from office all five days a week starting June 6. As these employees work for Cognizant, rather than Google directly, they are not eligible for the tech giant's three-day work week policy and have petitioned for the same flexibility.

"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," they wrote in a petition. Gas prices have soared to record highs this month (May) in the US.

Get support from Alphabet Workers Union
These Google Maps workers' petition has received support from Alphabet Workers Union (AWU), a union representing employees at Google's parent company Alphabet. The AWU backed these contract workers' demand in a series of tweets. "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," says a tweet.