Microsoft is updating its flexible work expectations with a revised return-to-office policy that requires employees to be on-site three days per week — a shift that comes at a sensitive moment for the company’s workforce amid widespread layoffs.
The new requirement will begin in February for employees who live within 50 miles of the company’s Redmond, Wash., HQ. It will roll out to other U.S. and global locations later. Employees can ask for exceptions through mid-September.
Microsoft’s current hybrid work policy allows most employees to work remotely up to half the time without approval.
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.
Microsoft’s workforce has been impacted by more than 15,000 job cuts globally since May — including more than 3,200 in Washington state — amid record capital spending on AI infrastructure.
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.
In mid-2025, about 51% of U.S. remote-capable employees were in hybrid roles, with 28% fully remote and 21% onsite, according to Gallup.
Microsoft continues a multiyear expansion and redevelopment of its Redmond headquarters, where seven new East Campus buildings are open and more are under construction as part of a 17-building project designed in part to encourage in-person collaboration and productivity.
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