Google seems to have missed the memo on remote work being here to stay, with the company spending a whopping $1 billion to spruce up its UK offices.

Like many large corporations, Google was quick to send its employees home to work remotely at the outset of the pandemic. Like some other large corporations, Google was just as fast to want to bring employees back to the office. The company repeatedly set return-to-office dates, only to move them back as the pandemic continued to drag on.

In its latest move, Google basically postponed a return to the office indefinitely, telling employees it would simply wait for when it was safe to return, rather than shooting for a specific date.

That policy hasn’t stopped the company from preparing for that eventual date, according to the BBC, spending roughly $1 billion to “reinvigorate” its UK offices. Google’s UK head, Ronan Harris, told the outlet that his company still had faith in the office as the future of the workplace.

“We want to reinvigorate the work environment. We’re making this commitment to rebuild. We’re buying these buildings and we’re keen to see everybody come back in and see a vibrant workspace again,” Mr Harris said. 

Google’s engineers have already pushed back on the company’s plans to return to the office, pointing out they have been just as productive working remotely. It’s a safe bet these latest plans are not likely to win the company any additional favor.