Microsoft Curtails Workers' Ability to Work From Home

Microsoft is ending its pandemic-era remote working policy, requiring employees near its Seattle-area headquarters to return to the office at least three days a week. In a memo sent Tuesday, HR chief Amy Coleman said the company is convinced that in-person work "energizes" teams and delivers better results—especially as Microsoft races to build the next wave of AI products, Quartz reports. "We need the kind of energy and momentum that comes from smart people working side by side," she wrote. Employees were previously allowed to work from home 50% of the time, or more with the approval of managers, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The company isn't flipping the switch overnight. The three-day rule will kick off at the Puget Sound campus by the end of February, with other US and international offices following later, though no specific dates have been set. For staff based in Puget Sound who live more than 50 miles away, Microsoft isn't saying how the policy will apply. "For some of you, this is not a change. For others this may be a bigger adjustment, which is exactly why we're providing time to plan thoughtfully," Coleman wrote. Rivals like Apple, IBM, and Google made similar moves much earlier.

"We're also enhancing our workplace safety and security measures so we can continue to provide a workplace where every employee can do their best work," Coleman wrote. The Journal reports that Microsoft has shut down an internal communications channel that employees used to criticize execs and discuss "hot-button societal issues." Sources say the company has also restricted how workers can move around the Puget Sound campus. The moves follow a sit-in last month at the office of Microsoft President Brad Smith to protest the company's ties to the Israeli military.

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Another tech company, payment-processing firm Klarna, also recently announced a return-to-office policy. Business Insider reports that comments were not allowed on the Slack post about the move so employees could only react with emojis. Employees used more than 500 sad-face emojis, with hundreds more opting for an emoji saying "no," sad cat emojis, crying emojis, clown faces, or meme emojis including "Hide the Pain Harold" or Homer Simpson backing into a bush. The post also received 19 thumbs-up and 14 rocket ship emojis.