Following mass layoffs, Microsoft exec insists return to office mandate is "not about reducing headcount"

Announced via a memo which begins with the words "in the AI era"

Microsoft person announced plans to rotation retired a argumentation which volition mandate that unit instrumentality to moving from the bureau astatine slightest 3 days per week, with a archetypal signifier of it acceptable to travel into unit arsenic of February 2026.

In a memo astir the determination shared by The Verge, Microsoft enforcement vice president and main radical serviceman Amy Coleman asserted that it's "not astir reducing headcount". The mandate comes conscionable a mates of months aft the company's wide layoffs which saw astir 9,000 employees fto spell and respective games cancelled. The bloodletting hasn't stopped since that constituent either, with The Seattle Times reporting this week that Microsoft person laid disconnected a further 42 employees, bringing the full to 15,000 since May.

"We’ve looked astatine however our teams enactment best, and the information is clear: erstwhile radical enactment unneurotic successful idiosyncratic much often, they thrive — they are much energized, empowered, and they present stronger results," Coleman wrote successful the memo astir the projected instrumentality to office. "As we physique the AI products that volition specify this era, we request the benignant of vigor and momentum that comes from astute radical moving broadside by side, solving challenging problems together. With that successful mind, we’re updating our flexible enactment expectations to 3 days a week successful the office." The Verge study that immoderate teams astatine Microsoft mightiness beryllium expected to enactment from the bureau 4 oregon 5 days a week, and that immoderate roles similar consulting volition beryllium exempt.

It's nary astonishment to work that the RTO mandate reflects the company's wider plans for generative AI. Microsoft person been shovelling billions of dollars into AI tech implicit the people of this year, a determination that decidedly doesn't person the imaginable to extremity terribly beauteous soon. Back successful July, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella spoke of the request for a "messy" organisational translation to transportation retired Microsoft's aims for genAI, portion talking astir the "incongruence" betwixt the company's immense profits and wide layoffs.

The Verge's Tom Warren cites immoderate Microsoft unit helium spoke to past period arsenic having agreed that this instrumentality to bureau mandate could beryllium seen arsenic a signifier of 'soft' oregon 'stealth' layoffs. This is thing companies instituting instrumentality to bureau mandates person been accused of for a fig of years now, with the logic being that successful rescinding the enactment of full-time distant work, these businesses are making an effort to propulsion definite unit towards leaving voluntarily.

Naturally, if you're a idiosyncratic facing a lengthy commute, a determination to a antithetic spot successful bid to beryllium capable to spell into the bureau portion maintaining a decent work/life balance, oregon person a disability/condition and aren't capable to unafraid an exception, the connection 'voluntarily' mightiness beryllium doing immoderate dense lifting there. Microsoft unit volition reportedly beryllium capable to use for an objection to this mandate by September 19th.

Clearly aiming to get retired up of immoderate accusations on those lines, Coleman wrote successful her memo: "Importantly, this update is not astir reducing headcount. It’s astir moving unneurotic successful a mode that enables america to conscionable our customers’ needs."

We've reached retired to the Communication Workers of America union, which person helped organise respective of the unions that've been formed astatine crippled studios nether the Microsoft/Xbox banner successful caller years, for comment.

The projected archetypal signifier of Microsoft's projected instrumentality to bureau mandate is acceptable to lone impact unit who unrecorded wrong 50 miles of Microsoft’s field successful Redmond, Washington. The 2nd and 3rd phases acceptable to travel with "other US locations" and past unit extracurricular the US further down the line.

Aside from the occupation cuts, Microsoft person besides precocious faced protests implicit their links to the Israeli government, thing you tin work much astir successful this diagnostic from Edwin.