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Microsoft is encouraging certain workers to work permanently from home
Microsoft is encouraging some of its workers to operate indefinitely from home. Although the vast majority of Microsoft workers are still operating from home amid the ongoing pandemic, the software manufacturer has launched "hybrid workplace" guidance internally to allow for even greater flexibility once US offices are fully reopened. The Verge has received internal guidance from Microsoft and outlines the company's flexible work plans for the future.
Microsoft will now encourage workers to work from home free of charge for less than 50 per cent of their week of work, or managers to accept permanent remote work. Employees who opt for permanent remote work would give up their allocated office room, but still have the possibility to use the touchdown space available at Microsoft's offices.
The COVID-19 pandemic has called on all of us to think, live and work in new ways, says Kathleen Hogan, Microsoft's Chief People's Officer, in a note to the staff.
We will offer as much flexibility as possible to support individual styles of work while balancing business needs and ensuring that we live our culture.
While most workers will be able to comfortably take advantage of less than 50 per cent of work at home, certain jobs will be challenging, or even impossible, to permanently transfer to remote locations.
Microsoft highlights a number of roles that still require access to the company's offices, including those requiring access to hardware labs, data centers and in-person training. Employees may also be permitted to travel domestically with approval or even to pursue foreign movement if remote work is feasible for their specific job.
Although Microsoft workers will be able to travel around the country for remote work, salaries and benefits will differ and differ based on the company's own geopay scale. Microsoft will pay home office expenses for permanent remote staff, but anyone who wishes to travel away from Microsoft's offices will have to pay their own relocation costs. Flexible working hours may also be possible without the consent of the boss, and workers may also seek part-time working hours from their supervisors.
Microsoft's switch to more flexible work comes months after the company told workers that its U.S. offices will not be reopened until January 2021 at the earliest. Microsoft originally allowed its workers to work from home back in March, before implementing compulsory home-policy work, as the pandemic spread through Seattle and further to the US.
Microsoft is not alone in encouraging workers to operate remotely on a permanent basis. Facebook is moving tens of thousands of workers to remote work, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg told The Verge that up to half of employees could work remotely within five to ten years.
