Microsoft Corp. workers will continue to be able to work from home for at least part of the time even after the Covid-19 crisis has ended, according to a blog post by Kurt DelBene, executive VP at Microsoft.
DelBene wrote the company will view working from home part time (less than 50% of time) as standard for most roles assuming manager and team alignment.
“Our goal is to give employees additional flexibility to support individual work styles, balance business needs and ensure we live our culture,” he wrote. “We also understand that some jobs require employees to be on-site, such as roles that support critical infrastructure, while other jobs are performed just as well remotely.”
Microsoft will also begin allowing more workers on site at its Redmond, Washington, headquarters starting on March 29.
Already, other worksites in 21 countries have been allowing additional workers into offices, representing 20% of its global workforce.
DelBene wrote the company also developed a “Hybrid Workplace Dial” that enables it to adjust worksites depending on conditions. It ranges from “Stage 1” with offices closed to “Stage 6” with offices open.
The opening of the Redmond campus represents a move from Stage 3 “work from home strongly encouraged” to Stage 4 “soft open.”
Microsoft has already been tracking workers at other offices that are operating at Stage 4.
“Based on the data, we see that 54% of survey respondents who have chosen to return in Stage 4 are spending less than 25% of their time at one of our worksites,” DelBene wrote. “Furthermore, 69% are spending 50% or less time on-site. We understand these responses are based on the current landscape where many employees are not yet vaccinated and many schools remain closed. We’ll continue to listen and incorporate employee feedback as conditions and circumstances evolve.”