Microsoft will keep its U.S. offices closed through the rest of 2020, allowing employees to continue to work from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has been reported earlier that Microsoft has created a six-stage dial that illustrates the company’s plan for employees’ return to offices. The earliest possible date for the sixth stage, which is opening the workplaces without restrictions, is January 19 2021.
In a statement released by the Tech Giant:
“In the United States, we have established that the earliest possible date for Stage 6 is now January 19, 2021,” Microsoft head of corporate strategy Kurt DelBene wrote in an internal memo that was reported. The date, however, will reportedly be pushed back depending on the necessary response to the ongoing pandemic, as the offices will return to normal only once restrictions have been lifted and it is safe for the employees to return.
The plan was also confirmed by Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to Digital Trends saying:
“On July 30th, we shared additional information on our hybrid workplace strategy with our global workforce and extended the option of working remotely through January 19, 2021 at the earliest in the U.S. We continue to review the situation on a local basis in each region/country/state where we work and will continue to adjust dates by country as needed.”
Although Microsoft isn’t the only company that allows it workers to work remotely because of the pandemic, as other tech companies are reviewing their various plans against the pandemic.