Microsoft has once again pushed back its timetable for returning to the office, saying remote work will continue till July 2021 at the earliest.
Like most companies, and especially those in the tech industry, Microsoft sent its employees home as the coronavirus swept the globe. As many other companies did, Microsoft has been moving its return-to-office date back as the situation has developed.
Most recently, Microsoft planned on re-opening offices in January of 2021 but, according to ZDNet, the company has now pushed that back to July. Leadership informed employees in an October 21 email:
“Returning to the worksite remains optional until we get to Stage 6. This stage represents a time when COVID-19 is no longer a significant burden on a country/region and most health and safety restrictions at our worksites are removed,” according to Microsoft’s Kurt Delbene, Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy, Core Services Engineering and Operations, the author of the latest email.
While some employees are already working onsite to some extent, Microsoft “strongly encouraged” all employees whose job permits to continue working remotely.