Sundar sent this email to Google employees early this morning. This email has been removed from internal links.Hi everyone,I hope that you all are taking good care. Since the outbreak of the pandemic we have put the well-being of our Google community first and foremost. This was done while taking care of our partners and customers, and we launched over 200 new features and products to assist people and businesses through this difficult time.We made the decision in March 2020 to send our employees home early to slow down the spread COVID. We have extended our Carers Leave coverage since then to assist employees in caring for their loved ones. We have continued to pay the full wages for campus workers who were unable to perform their job due to office closings. We have made sure that Googlers, as well as our extended workforce, have immediate access to vaccines when they become available. We've also helped Gavi fully vaccinate more than 1 million people in low and middle-income countries worldwide thanks to the support of Google.org and Google.ru.Despite the fact that the virus is still a problem in many places around the globe, it's encouraging to see high vaccination rates in Google communities in areas where vaccines can be easily obtained. This is why we were able to open some of our offices to employees who were able to return to work early. It was great to see Googlers again brainstorming on whiteboards and eating in cafes in many of the offices that were reopened worldwide.Vaccination is an important way to ensure that our community and ourselves are healthy for the coming months. Two key updates are available as we approach a global return of our offices.First, everyone who comes to our campuses to work will need to have their vaccines. This policy will be implemented in the U.S. within the next few weeks, and will then be expanded to other countries in the future. It will be implemented in accordance with local regulations and conditions. The policy will not take effect until vaccines become widely available in your region. Your local leaders will provide guidance on how it will affect you. We also have details about an exceptions process that can be used for people who are unable to vaccinate due to medical reasons or other protected reasons.We are also extending our voluntary global work-from-home policy until October 18. We are thrilled to announce that we have reopened our campuses. We encourage Googlers to feel comfortable visiting sites that have been opened to continue to do so. We also recognize that many Googlers are experiencing spikes in their communities due to the Delta variant. We are concerned about our ability to return to the office. This extension will give us enough time to get back to work and allow for flexibility for those who require it. Keep an eye on the data and we will let you know 30 days before we transition into our full return-to-office plans. We will soon share expanded temporary work options which will allow you to work remotely until the end of 2021 for those with special circumstances. We are also expanding Expanded Carer Leave for caregivers and parents through the end-of-the year.Many of you are still dealing with difficult circumstances due to the pandemic. Although there are many things that cannot be controlled, I am proud of how we continue to care for each other and help people, businesses, and communities in these difficult times.These steps should give everyone more peace of mind when offices reopen. I was filled with optimism seeing all the Googlers in the office these last few weeks. Im looking forward to brighter times ahead.-Sundar
