The days of working from home will soon come to an end for Google employees in the Bay Area and several other US locations but the company hopes to entice them to return to the office with a brand new perk.
Beginning this month, the search giant will officially move to a hybrid work model where employees will be expected to be in the office at least three days every week.
As part of its efforts to get employees back to the office, Google has partnered with the electric scooter maker Unagi to launch a new program called “Ride Scoot” according to a report from The Verge. The new program will make it possible for the majority of the company’s US-based workers to get reimbursed for a monthly subscription to Unagi’s Model One scooter which retails for $990 and has a top speed of 20mph and a range of 15.5 miles.
Founder and CEO of Unagi, David Hyman provided further insight on Google’s intentions behind its new Ride Scoot program in a statement to The Verge, saying:
“They know there’s apprehension amongst employees. People got really accustomed to working from home. And they’re just trying to do everything they can to improve the experience of coming back.”
Reimbursed scooter subscriptions
During the course of the pandemic, Google spent billions on expanding its offices with the hope that employees would eventually return to work once the virus subsided.
As one possible incentive to encourage its workers to transition from working from home to a hybrid work model, the company came up with the idea of providing them with free scooters.
In addition to selling its e-scooters outright, Unagi also launched a subscription model in which customers in select cities in the US can get its Model One scooter delivered to their door for just $49 a month. While there’s also a $50 sign-up fee, the subscription includes both maintenance costs and theft insurance.
As part of Google’s Ride Scoot program, Unagi plans to set up booths at the company’s offices where employees can sign up for a discounted monthly scooter subscription. However, the entire subscription cost will be fully reimbursed by Google and scooters will be added as a transportation option in the company’s internal employee portal.
To be eligible for reimbursement though, Googlers must use their Unagi Model One scooter for at least nine commutes each month. Alongside its Mountain View headquarters, other eligible locations include the search giant’s offices in Seattle, Kirkland, Sunnyvale, Playa Vista, Austin and New York City.
Google isn’t the only company that Unagi is working with though as it also has made deals with Salesforce and other large firms about adding its scooters as a transportation perk for their employees.
Via The Verge
