Microsoft offices won’t completely reopen until September 7th at the earliest
Microsoft’s “Stage 6” section of its hybrid office plan is delaying the full reopening of its offices until September 7th at the earliest. This reflects a delay from its originally planned July window.
A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to The Verge said that on continuous consultation with health and data experts the company has shifted its earliest date for the full opening of U.S. worksites to September 7, 2021. The company continues to evaluate the situation on a local basis in each region/country/state where they work and are ready to adjust dates by country as needed.
In an email to staff obtained by Business Insider, the Microsoft executive vice president Kurt DelBene explained the decision to delay the full reopening in detail. He said that they believe this date will afford extra flexibility for employees to make summer plans and will continue to keep updated if the date is pushed more. The email also stated that Microsoft will give regional office leaders freedom to further delay that date, being sure of health and safety conditions in their local area.
The company has already commenced reopening in a restricted quantity. The company noted in March that approximately 20 % of its staff around the world were back in the office. Its Redmond and Seattle, Washington-based headquarters also started reopening slowly on March 29th.
The company also said as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the shift to a more remote workplace at Microsoft seems to be a permanent change to the company’s culture. In the future, the company plans to make the option to discuss more substantial shifts to remote work with managers and also add an option to work from home for up to 50 % of the week standard for most positions.
Kathleen Hogan, Microsoft’s chief people officer says that the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged all of us to think, live, and work in new ways. The company said that it will offer as much flexibility as possible to support individual work styles, also balancing business needs and making sure to sustain their culture.
