The company may require employees to work from the office at least three days a week, part of a broader trend in the tech industry toward increased productivity requirements.
The company may require employees to work from the office at least three days a week, part of a broader trend in the tech industry toward increased productivity requirements.
Microsoft is considering tightening its office visitation policy, and these changes could take effect as early as January 2025, Business Insider reports .
The new policy could require most employees at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, to work in the office at least three days a week. Previously, since late 2020, Microsoft's policy allowed most employees to work remotely up to 50% of the time, although in practice it was much more flexible.
With this move, Microsoft follows the example of other large technology companies, such as Meta and Google, which have already implemented similar rules.
The tightening of remote work policies is part of a broader trend in the tech industry that includes increasing pressure on employee productivity. Microsoft has already laid off thousands of employees this year who were deemed underperforming, and has also implemented a new performance evaluation system that allows it to fire those who don't meet the requirements more quickly.
Microsoft CFO Amy Goode said in an internal memo that the coming year will require "intensity," echoing CEO Satya Nadella's earlier call for "dedication, perseverance, and hard work."
Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw confirmed that the company is considering updating its flexible work policies, but no final decisions have been made yet.
Microsoft has confirmed that it is laying off 9,100 employees, or about 4% of its workforce , in another round of layoffs. The cuts will hit the Xbox division, known as Microsoft Gaming, as well as some of its previously announced games.
