Microsoft tells staff it won’t follow Amazon or Dell on enforcing a return to the office – but there’s a catch

Microsoft has assured employees it isn’t considering any changes to its flexible work policy, although this is provided productivity doesn’t drop.

The firm’s cloud and AI EVP Scott Guthrie told staff of Microsoft’s position at an internal meeting, according to Business Insider, who cited two staff members present in the meeting. The staff members asked not to be identified.

According to its own information, Microsoft supports a hybrid working environment and the firm is against any sort of ‘one size fits all’ approach to office attendance or working location.

Microsoft confirmed to Business Insider that it had not changed its flexible working policy.

Guthrie added that the firm’s maintained position would depend on productivity, though there is nothing from Microsoft to suggest that it has concerns in this regard. In fact, some senior figures at Microsoft are actively supportive of remote work.

“If you make the time to do it right, your employees will be more engaged, more productive, and more connected, even when they’re miles away,” Microsoft IT director Keith Boyd wrote in a company blog post.

“And they’ll be far less likely to leave for a competitor who has a more sophisticated and flexible model than you do,” Boyd added.

Microsoft forges its own path 

Microsoft is the odd one out at the moment. RTO mandates have been the source of much debate in recent months as firms look to undo the changes brought about by the pandemic.

Amazon and Dell have been the two loudest voices on this front, with both having announced stricter RTO policies against a backdrop of firm staff resistance and industry criticism.

Most recently, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced that the firm would enforce RTO for a full five days a week beginning in January 2025. This move came despite a major backlash when Amazon introduced a 3-day-a-week mandate in 2023.

A leaked internal staff survey after this announcement showed continuing disappointment in the tech giant, with the average staff satisfaction rating clocking in at 1.4 out of a possible five.

Staff at Dell responded similarly after the firm told remote workers that they risked missing out on promotions. Many staff said they were willing to take that risk, and a leaked internal survey the following month revealed plummeting staff satisfaction.

Firms are missing the mark 

Many companies are making the mistake of shifting the dial back on flexible work, according to Barbara Matthews, the CPO at HR platform Remote.

It signals a belief that employees need to be physically present and monitored to be productive, Matthews told ITPro, which is a problematic mindset for two reasons.

“First, it lays a sour foundation for the relationship between management and employees, leaving employees feeling mistrusted and encouraging a culture of presenteeism, which in turn can negatively impact productivity,” Matthews said.

“Secondly, removing opportunities for flexible work is also detrimental to the ongoing battle to attract and retain talent, particularly at times of ongoing skills shortage challenges faced by the tech sector,” she added.

Companies making their working practices less flexible will shrink their prospective talent pool, Matthews added, and will become less attractive to potential employees.