Microsoft announced on Tuesday that starting next year, employees will be required to work in the office at least three days a week.
According to a memo released by Amy Coleman, Microsoft’s Chief Human Resources Officer, the policy will be implemented in three phases. Initially, employees near the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington will be required to comply, followed by employees in other locations across the United States, and finally, international employees.
By the end of February 2026, employees living within a 50-mile radius of the Microsoft headquarters will be expected to work in the office for three days each week. The company is currently sending emails to these employees to notify them of this change.
Microsoft also stated that work schedules and related details for employees in other U.S. office locations will be announced soon, with plans for international employees set to begin next year.
In the memo, Coleman wrote, “As we create AI products that will define this era, we need the energy and momentum that comes from smart people working shoulder to shoulder to solve challenging problems together.”
Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in 2020, many companies shifted to remote work for safety reasons. In recent years, several tech industry peers of Microsoft have started to reverse these policies, requiring employees to return to the office, such as Amazon, which now mandates a five-day in-office workweek.
A report from real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. indicates that over half of the employees engaged in traditional office work at Fortune 100 companies have returned to working in the office.
Microsoft’s previous remote work policy allowed most employees to work remotely for half of the week without needing manager approval.
The software giant has already undergone several rounds of layoffs this year, dismissing 15,000 employees to address the high costs associated with developing and providing AI products. Coleman mentioned in the memo that this update is not about reducing headcount but about working together in a way that meets customer demands.
In its latest financial report in July, Microsoft revealed better-than-expected performance, with the company’s market value surpassing $4 trillion at one point.