Microsoft is allowing employees to work from home after the pandemic until further notice. That means people can keep working from home for some companies like Amazon, where employees will have to return to the office, Microsoft is trying a different approach. Scott Guthrie, the Executive Vice President of Cloud and AI at Microsoft, made it known during an internal meeting that they would not force employees to return to the office five days a week. But from accounts given by two employees who attended the meeting, this commitment is with one condition—productivity should not fall.
This also coheres with Microsoft being the birth giver to Teams, a platform that supports remote work. In fact, one would say how can it stop remote work when it’s providing you a tool to run one. But then productivity, which the management has yet to settle whether working from home is more or less productive than working in the office.
Although some workers contend that working from home increases productivity, companies usually only uphold these rules when it is profitable for them. Senior Director of IT at Microsoft Keith Boyd highlights that, with the right management, remote employment may be sustainable. He underlined that employees tend to be more engaged and connected when remote work is well-executed.
There are benefits to working remotely for businesses, including possible daycare cost savings. Nonetheless, employers are concerned about the possibility of lower output as a result of workers multitasking or taking personal time. Employers take most of the possible risks, but employees gain from not having to commute every day.
Ultimately, Microsoft believes it has struck the right balance with its remote work policy. Whether this flexible model will maintain employee satisfaction and productivity without the need for stricter oversight remains to be seen.
