In August, it was reported that Microsoft was planning to mandate its workers again to the workplace “at the very least” three days per week as quickly as January 2026. (Staff presently can work remotely “half” of the workweek.)

Now, in keeping with an inner e-mail despatched to Microsoft employees on Tuesday, the corporate has finalized its plans and is issuing a return-to-office (RTO) mandate in three phases, starting on the finish of February 2026, in keeping with Enterprise Insider.

“Within the AI period, we’re transferring sooner than ever, constructing world-class expertise that modifications how folks stay and work, and the way organizations in every single place function,” reads the e-mail from Microsoft HR chief Amy Coleman. “In the event you mirror on our historical past, essentially the most significant breakthroughs occur once we construct on one another’s concepts collectively, in actual time.”

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As of June 30, Microsoft employed 228,000 employees, with 125,000 positioned within the U.S.

In line with the e-mail, the primary section will deal with workers who stay within the Puget Sound, Washington space, and can start round February 23. “In the event you stay inside 50 miles of a Microsoft workplace, you will be anticipated to work onsite three days per week beginning [at the end of February],” the e-mail reads.

^{A normal view of the Microsoft Zizhu Campus in Minghang, Shanghai, China, on June 30, 2025. Worldwide workers will study extra about their RTO in 2026. Ying Tang/NurPhoto through Getty Photos}

The RTO mandate will then broaden to different workplaces within the U.S. and, finally, internationally, for which planning will start in 2026, in keeping with the e-mail.

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The memo stated that the remainder of the employees will hear from their “EVP or organizational management as we speak with particular steering,” the e-mail reads. “If you’re outdoors of the Puget Sound space, you don’t want to take any motion right now except your EVP communicates in any other case.”

“We have checked out how our groups work finest, and the information is evident: when folks work collectively in particular person extra typically, they thrive—they’re extra energized, empowered, they usually ship stronger outcomes,” Coleman wrote.

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