Google tells employees in its Cloud unit to share desks and attend the office on alternate days

• Google Cloud staff have been asked to share desks and attend the office on alternate days.
• A Google spokesperson told Insider the move would allow it to use its spaces more efficiently.

Google is asking thousands of employees to share their desk with a coworker as the tech giant looks to use its space more efficiently.

The decision will apply to Google Cloud staff in the division's five largest US locations – including New York City and San Francisco – with some buildings left empty as a result, an internal FAQ seen by CNBC showed.

A Google spokesperson confirmed the move to Insider, saying it's "combining the best of pre-pandemic collaboration with the flexibility and focus we've all come to appreciate from remote work, while also allowing us to use our spaces more efficiently."

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Employees are expected to go into the office on alternate days — either Monday and Wednesday, or Tuesday and Thursday — and use a matching process to "establish norms with their desk partner and teams to ensure a positive experience," per CNBC.

Some staff made fun of the measures and posted memes targeting the "corp speak," CNBC reported. It said that one meme read: "Not every cost-cutting measure needs to be word mangled into sounding good for employees."

In January, Google announced it was laying off around 12,000 staff, or 6% of its global workforce. The tech sector has already cut more than 100,000 jobs this year, according to Layoffs.fyi, a website that tracks job losses across the tech industry.

Google Cloud CEO, Thomas Kurian, told employees last month the division would continue to "invest for growth." It had seen heavy investment over the past few years but is not yet profitable, Insider reported.

A Google spokesperson told Insider: "Our data show Cloud Googlers value guaranteed in-person collaboration when they are in the office, as well as the option to work from home a few days each week.

"With this feedback, we've developed our new rotational model, combining the best of pre-pandemic collaboration with the flexibility and focus we've all come to appreciate from remote work, while also allowing us to use our spaces more efficiently."