Microsoft says it will fully reopen its Redmond headquarters in Washington state on February 28, returning to full availability for the start of March. This will be the first time the campus has been completely open since the first lockdown at the start of the COVID pandemic.
However, which the Redmond facilities will be complete open, that does not necessarily mean staff will be at full capacity. Instead, employees who have arrangements to permanently change their work habits can continue on their new schedules:
Essentially, Microsoft will maintain its hybrid workplace initiative:
“Our Washington state work sites will move to our sixth and final stage of the hybrid workplace model, effective Feb. 28, 2022. From this date, employees will have 30 days to make adjustments to their routines and adopt the working preferences they’ve agreed upon with their managers.”
The news comes from Chris Capossela, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Microsoft is planning a complete reopening of the campus, making it available to employees, guests, and visitors.
Moving Back In
Microsoft has been using work-at-home measures since March 2020 and have postponed several attempts to reopen the headquarters. The company says its Bay Area facilities in California, including the new Silicon Valley Campus will also be fully open on the same date.
“We’re excited to welcome our employees back to a modern workplace that fosters inclusion, collaboration and community. In the months ahead, we’ll continue to adopt a growth mindset and create a new world of work that is better for everyone as we learn together as One Microsoft.”
That modern workplace Microsoft points to is part of its ongoing remodel of the Redmond base. Back in 2019, Microsoft announced it was revamping its Redmond headquarters in Washington. Work has been underway and taking shape since then, as shown by a progress report in March 2021.
Tip of the day: Did you know you can use Windows’ built-in antivirus Microsoft Defender also with scheduled scans? In our tutorial we give you step-by-step instructions on how to program your personal scan-schedule to keep your free of malware.
