GoogleThe employees want the executives to return to the part of the company that made it desirable to work in: Candor.

The CEO was present at an all-hands year-end meeting held almost earlier this month. Sundar PichaiOne of the most common questions that employees ask is read aloud. It was made possible by Dory (the company’s internal software), which allows staffers post questions and to upvote those they wish addressed.

Pichai commented on the Dory post that it seemed like Dory’s replies have become more legalistic with canned responses or platitudes. These seem to be ignoring the question being asked. Is it possible to plan on returning Dory’s candor and honesty? Or are we content with pursuing a bureaucratic approach?”

The question got 673 votes. CNBC was able to obtain a copy the question and hear Pichai’s voice.

Pichai stated, in his long response: “I understand what you are asking.” He added, “I believe there are many reasons for some of these,” later.

Google’s recent cultural turmoil has been an important topic over the years. Google, which was once a pioneer in Silicon Valley culture and created an environment that allowed free and open discussion and encouraged innovation, now faces the reality of its position as one of the most powerful companies on the planet. After employees discovered that some company executives had been accused of sexual harassment, the positive sentiment in general changed. overlooked sexual harassment allegations pursued government deals quietly.

Google’s leadership was then cracked downengage in internal conversations and fired some employeesEmployees who criticised company policies or were active in organizing discontented workers. Employers told CNBCIn 2019, the company became “unrecognizable”.

Pichai, in his recent response to the meeting, acknowledged that it was difficult for global workers during pandemics to communicate.

“We are obviously communicating at scale now — to over 150,000 people and particularly through the pandemic, doing it all remotely,” Pichai said. “I have noticed that people read more screens during the pandemic. I believe this contributes to it feeling canned.”

Google, as most businesses, struggles to maintain contact with its employees who, for the most part, have been working from home since March 2020. Google is more ambitious than most tech companies in its plans to reopen physical office spaces in the New Year, even though it has recently halted. pushed backIts return date in light of recent increasing cases from the Omicron variant.

Google’s all hands TGIF meetings have also changed. During these meetings Pichai and the other executives discuss topics that concern Dory. All of them are now held via video.

The Founders Larry Page Sergey BrinTGIFs were started at Google’s Mountain View campus, California in 1999 as a way for employees to express their frustrations and share information with the management. This became an attractive selling point for talented people and was used as a template for many other start-ups in tech.

Pichai stated that he would be retiring from politics in 2019. replacingWeekly TGIF meetings, monthly meet-ups and small town halls are available to address workplace concerns.

Pichai explained that virtual meetings offer a completely new dimension.

He said, “I believe people are always anxious to answer in such a setting.” Sometimes I think people don’t forgive small mistakes. People realize they can find answers anywhere. This makes them very vigilant.

Pichai said that “trust must be balanced with candor,” referring to employee leaks to those outside of the company.

He stated, “You need to work hard to make it scale”

Pichai explained that in the two previous years, the company tried to form smaller groups which could be more effective for genuine communication.

He said, “It’s super important to make investments in smaller forums.”

He ended his response by saying thanks for the concern and “good feedback.”

Pichai stated, “I am glad that you asked this question.” I encourage everyone to talk and share what they think. He said, “Let us all strive to be better there.”

Google representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

WATCH: Google delays January return-to-work plan