Microsoft, the American tech giant, is said to be tightening up office working rules, with some workers possibly having their lives affected as soon as January. The new policy is set to mandate staff members to spend at least three days of every week working from the office.
The timeline for rollout can differ by location. Workers in Microsoft's Redmond, Washington headquarters might be among those initially subject to stricter office requirements as early as January, reports said.
Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw confirmed that Microsoft is considering overhauling its flexible work arrangements, but no decisions have been made. The technology giant will formally announce the new policy in September.
Since last year 2020, Microsoft has had a flexible work policy where workers are permitted to work at home for about 50% of the schedule without seeking advance permission, which offers great flexibility.
Other technology giants, such as Meta and Google, have already implemented a three-day office going workweek. At Microsoft, some teams like the Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs (CELA) group already spend over three days a week in the office.
Tougher in-office policies have also been on the rise throughout the tech sector. Amazon, a Microsoft rival, mandated employees work five days a week in-person earlier this year, while AT&T had a similar policy last year.
Scott Guthrie, Microsoft's Cloud and AI head, informed employees during an internal meeting last September that the company would only revisit flexible work arrangements if productivity rates fell significantly.
The technology giant has also been in the news recently for briefly shutting down access to its services for Russia-supported Nayara Energy, although service was restored. In addition, in July, Microsoft reported a 4% reduction in the workforce—some 9,000 employees—as part of another wave of layoffs this year.
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