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Microsoft indefinitely delays employees' return to its offices

The company blamed 'the uncertainty of COVID-19' and the delta
variant.
Kris Holt
K. Holt|09.09.21
@krisholt

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Kris Holt
K. Holt
@krisholt
September 9th, 2021
In this article: news, gear, delta variant, office return, covid-19, 
corporate, work from home, microsoft, employees, coronavirus, 
business, tomorrow
REDMOND, WASHINGTON - JULY 17: A building on the Microsoft
Headquarters campus is pictured July 17, 2014 in Redmond, Washington.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced, July 17, that Microsoft will
cut 18,000 jobs, the largest layoff in the company's history.
(Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)Stephen Brashear via Getty Images

Microsoft had a lot of news to share about remote work today,
including a bunch of upcoming updates for Teams centered around
hybrid meetings. But perhaps most pertinent to the company's
employees was an announcement that it's delaying their return to the
office yet again. Microsoft is putting the plans on hold indefinitely
due to the COVID-19 delta variant.

Most recently, the aim was to fully reopen the headquarters in
Redmond, Washington and several other US offices no earlier than
October 4th. "Given the uncertainty of COVID-19, we've decided
against attempting to forecast a new date for a full reopening of our
US work sites in favor of opening US work sites as soon as we're able
to do so safely based on public health guidance." Jared Spataro,
Microsoft's corporate vice president for modern work, wrote in a blog
post.

Once Microsoft has a date in mind for reopening, it will tell workers
about a 30-day transition period so they can make preparations. That
window, according to Spataro, will let Microsoft "continue to be
agile and flexible as we look to the data and make choices to protect
employee health, safety and well-being." As The New York Times notes,
Microsoft will require employees, vendors and guests to have proof of
vaccination before being allowed to enter its offices.

"It's a stark reminder that this is the new normal," Spataro wrote.
"Our ability to come together will ebb and flow."

With that in mind, it seems Microsoft employees will be taking
advantage of the hybrid meeting features that are coming to Teams.
They include support for intelligent cameras; more immersive
PowerPoint presentations with live video in slides; a way to tell
co-workers if you plan to attend meetings in person or remotely when
you RSVP; and Apple CarPlay support for audio-only meetings.

Other major tech companies have delayed returns to the office. Amazon
previously planned to bring corporate employees back to its offices
this week. In August, it pushed back those plans once again, this
time until January.

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