Microsoft sets new RTO policy, requiring employees in the office 3 days per week

"In a memo to staff, posted on the company's blog Tuesday, Microsoft EVP Amy Coleman said the change is grounded in data showing that in-person collaboration boosts energy, empowerment, and results, especially for AI-era innovation. Coleman said that the shift is not a headcount-reduction measure. "It's about working together in a way that enables us to meet our customers' needs," she wrote."

"The RTO policy change could further trim Microsoft's workforce through attrition. Some employees may choose to leave rather than comply. Other companies that tightened RTO rules have seen a similar dynamic. The new requirement brings Microsoft more in line with with Google and Meta, which generally require three days a week in the office. Amazon, the Seattle region's other tech giant, brought employees back five days a week."

The new requirement mandates employees who live within 50 miles of the Redmond, Washington headquarters to be on-site three days per week starting in February, with rollout to other U.S. and global locations later. Employees can request exceptions through mid-September. The prior hybrid policy allowed most employees to work remotely up to half the time without approval. Microsoft cites data that in-person collaboration boosts energy, empowerment, and results, particularly for AI-era innovation, and describes the change as not a headcount-reduction measure. The workforce has seen more than 15,000 global job cuts since May amid major AI infrastructure spending, and the policy could prompt further attrition as some employees may leave rather than comply.

Read at GeekWire