(Image source from: REUTERS)
The COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 made companies change to remote work because of social distancing rules. Now, even large businesses are beginning to bring their staff back to the workplace. Microsoft is the newest major tech company to announce a requirement for employees to work in the office. In a blog post, Microsoft shared its plans for a new flexible working approach. The company now wants its employees to be in the office at least three days a week. Amy Coleman, Microsoft's Chief People Officer, explained that this change is “not about cutting jobs.” Instead, the company stated that being in the office results in “better outcomes.” Recently, Microsoft has laid off about 15,000 workers since May. However, the company is not hurrying with this office return plan. It is allowing employees several months to adapt to the new working schedule, which will be introduced in three phases. The initial focus will be on Microsoft’s main office in Redmond, Washington, in the US. Employees who live within 50 miles of any Microsoft office in the Puget Sound area are expected to comply with this requirement by February 2026.
Those employees will receive more details about this change. There is a ten-day period for anyone wishing to ask for an exemption. According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, Microsoft has around 52,900 employees in that region. The blog post indicated that timelines for other employees in the US would be shared soon. The company is likely to allow employees to select which days they will work in the office. However, the post did not provide any specific information on this aspect. For workers outside the US, including those in India, Microsoft has not yet started planning for the office return requirement. The company mentioned that plans for this transition will be made in 2026. They may be waiting to see the first phase completed before expanding it worldwide.
According to Microsoft’s official site, there are over 20,000 employees in India, with offices located in ten cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurugram, New Delhi, Noida, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune. Microsoft isn't the only tech giant insisting on returning to the office. In September 2024, Amazon implemented a requirement for employees to work in the office five days a week.
