Microsoft won’t follow an Amazon-style RTO policy unless productivity slows, exec tells employees in internal meeting

• A Microsoft exec reassured staff it won’t mandate a return to the office unless productivity drops.
• Amazon’s five-day RTO policy has faced backlash from some of its corporate workers.
• Microsoft recently pitched hybrid work as a way to boost productivity and retain employees.

After Amazon ordered corporate workers back to the office five days a week, a Microsoft executive assured employees the software giant has no plans to follow its rival — unless productivity slows.

Microsoft has a flexible policy that lets most employees work remotely. And many of the company’s open roles allow candidates to work from home at least 50% of the time.

Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Microsoft’s Cloud + AI group, told employees during a recent internal meeting that the company won’t consider a change to this policy unless it notices a change in productivity, according to two employees who were present. They asked not to be identified discussing internal matters.

Microsoft, which sells software that enables remote work like its Teams chat and video app, recently pitched hybrid work as a way to retain employees and make them more productive.

“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,” Keith Boyd, a Microsoft IT senior director, wrote in an August post about the hybrid work approach. “And they’ll be far less likely to leave for a competitor who has a more sophisticated and flexible model than you do.”

Amazon’s RTO mandate, which begins next year, has been met with opposition from some of its employees.

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the company’s flexible work policy hasn’t changed, but did not comment further on Monday.

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