Microsoft will allow employees to work from home on a permanent basis even when offices reopen, according to internal guidance issued this week. The company (Microsoft) unveiled a plan for a ‘hybrid workplace’ that will allow employees greater flexibility on whether they return to working in an office full-time or not, The Verge reports. Microsoft will allow employees to apply to work from home Permanently.
Under this plan, employees will be allowed to work from home for less than 50 percent of the working week or request permanent remote work through their manager.
The vast majority of the software maker’s employees are still currently working from home amid the coronavirus pandemic, and the company has said they would not reopen offices until at least January 2021.
Microsoft highlighted in the guidance that some roles within the company will require employees to return back to an office. They include roles that require access to hardware labs, data centers, and in-person training.
The guidance also states that employees will be able to request to relocate domestically, or even internationally if their role allows. If an employee does to choose to relocate, their pay and benefits could change, however, depending on the company’s own geo-pay scale.
While home office expenses will be covered by Microsoft, those who choose to move away from a company office will have to cover their own relocation expenses.
Share this article Share Part-time working hours will be available for employees with approval from their manager, while flexible working hours will be in place without needing approval.
Microsoft has not yet responded to a request for comment on the new plan. Several of the world’s largest tech companies have said they will allow employees to work from home permanently once offices begin to reopen.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told The Verge that up to half of its employees could work remotely in the next five to ten years. They are in the process of shifting tens of thousands of jobs to remote work.
Google has committed to keeping its 200,000 employees working from home until at least July 2021. Chief Executive Officer Sunder Pichai made the decision in July after debate among an internal group of top executives.
In the month of May, Jack Dorsey, the CEO of both Twitter and Square, told employees at both firms that they can continue working from home permanently if they chose to do so. But some jobs that require the physical presence of employees at the office will still require those workers to show up.
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