Key Points :
- Employees can choose to work from their residences permanently. Though a catch here is that ,they will have to give up their office space.
- Employees will need approval from their managers to work remotely on a permanent basis, can spend less than 50 percent of their week outside the office without approval.
- Some employees won’t be allowed for remote-work arrangements, such as those who work in Microsoft’s laboratories or train other employees.
- Those employees relocating may see their salaries change depending on where they go, and while the company will cover expenses for employees’ home offices, it won’t cover relocation expenses.
US media reported on Friday that,Software giant Microsoft will let employees work from home permanently if they decide to, becoming the latest employer to expand work-from-home provisions propelled by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Most Microsoft employees are still home-ridden as the health crisis continues and the company doesn’t expect to restart its US offices until January of next year at the earliest. But when it does, employees can choose to work from their residences permanently. Though a catch here is that ,they will have to give up their office space, said The Verge.
It added, employees will need approval from their managers to work remotely on a permanent basis, can spend less than 50 percent of their week outside the office without approval.Some employees won’t be allowed for remote-work arrangements, such as those who work in Microsoft’s laboratories or train other employees.The Verge reported,in its note, the company co-founded by Bill Gates said it is possible for its workers to relocate across the United States or perhaps overseas.Those employees relocating may see their salaries change depending on where they go, and while the company will cover expenses for employees’ home offices, it won’t cover relocation expenses.
In a statement to AFP, a Microsoft spokesperson didn’t highlight whether work-from-home would be made permanent but said,
“Our goal is to evolve the way we work over time with intention – guided by employee input, data and our commitment to support individual workstyles and business needs while living our culture.”
Microsoft’s Chief People Officer Kathleen Hogan in a note to employees obtained by the tech news outlet said,
“The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged all of us to think, live and work in new ways.”
She added,
“We will offer as much flexibility as possible to support individual workstyles, while balancing business needs and ensuring we live our culture.”
Some major tech firms have already permitted permanent work-from-home arrangements including Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook. Zuckerberg said that half of the social network’s staff could be permanently working remotely within 5 to 10 years.
