Microsoft is rolling out a new return-to-office policy that will see first Redmond, then US, and then global staff getting back on-prem at least three days a week.<\/p>\n
“How we work has forever changed,” Microsoft’s Chief People Officer Amy Coleman told staff in a blog post<\/a>. And that change will start in Redmond by the end of February. If you work within a 50-mile radius of the office, Microsoft has already emailed you if it expects your attendance, she said.<\/p>\n The changes will spread across the rest of America and then internationally on an unspecified timescale. We’ve asked for clarification and will update this article if it comes in.<\/p>\n Coleman’s note looked to get ahead of possible criticisms that mandatory RTO policies serve as a backdoor way to reduce headcount, as employees who’d moved far away from offices to take advantage of companies’ remote work policies may find it difficult or unpalatable to uproot again.<\/p>\n “Importantly, this update is not about reducing headcount,” she wrote. “It\u2019s about working together in a way that enables us to meet our customers\u2019 needs.”<\/p>\n If Microsofties want an exemption from the new rules, they must file a request by September 19, Coleman said. She told staff to ask their EVPs or “organizational leadership” how this would work in practice and what conditions they would require.<\/p>\n Seattle-area workers are still getting a good deal compared to the peons at Amazon. They’ve been under a five-day office regime since this year and some staff are peeved<\/a> at the change.<\/p>\n Just three years ago, Microsoft was touting<\/a> research about how working from home was just fine. Recent evidence also shows<\/a> RTO mandates can discourage staff. But that was then and this is now, and most of the big tech firms are now requiring a three-office-day week at least.<\/p>\n Intel’s already on a three-day in policy, rising<\/a> to four as the struggling chip biz tries to correct decades of failures. IBM is cracking the whip on not only hours in, but also forcing<\/a> staff to move location to be closer to the office for three-days of office work. Dell<\/a>, Google<\/a>, Meta<\/a>, and others are also enforcing the three-office-day week.<\/p>\n