Microsoft calls workers back to office 3 days a week

Microsoft will expect its employees to work from the office three days a week, starting early next year.

The return-to-office policy will be rolled out in phases, starting with workers in the Puget Sound area in February, according to an email from Amy Coleman, Microsoft's chief people officer, on Tuesday. Employees who live within 50 miles of Microsoft's corporate headquarters in Redmond will be expected to commute in three days a week at that time.

The policy will then extend to Microsoft's U.S. offices beyond the Seattle region, and then launch at international locations.

"As we build the AI products that will define this era, we need the kind of energy and momentum that comes from smart people working side by side, solving challenging problems together," Coleman wrote.

The policy was announced the day after Microsoft laid off 42 employees in Washington, according to a state filing. It's the latest in a series of layoffs over the past few years that have rendered thousands of Microsoft workers without a job.

But in the memo, Coleman stressed that the new return-to-office policy "is not about reducing headcount. It’s about working together in a way that enables us to meet our customers’ needs."

The announcement brings Microsoft in line with other large tech companies that have been cracking down on the remote work legacy of the pandemic. Amazon has been the most strict, calling workers back five days a week at the beginning of the year.

Until now, Microsoft was one of the most lenient employers in Big Tech, widely granting employees discretion on how many days per week they worked from home, though the official policy was half-time.

But Microsoft is a key contender in the AI arms race, and the battle to dominate the technology of the future has led to a culture shift at the company. In addition to layoffs, Microsoft has been increasing performance pressure on employees.

"In the AI era, we are moving faster than ever, building world-class technology that changes how people live and work, and how organizations everywhere operate," Coleman wrote in the memo. "If you reflect on our history, the most meaningful breakthroughs happen when we build on each other’s ideas together, in real time."

Microsoft employees who are unable to comply with the return-to-office policy will have until Sept. 19 to request an exemption.