BackReturn to office: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has a piece of advice for companies
Satya Nadella said on Friday that companies forcing employees back to the office amid rising Covid cases are ‘shortsighted’
PremiumA day after Microsoft told employees that it has indefinitely delayed employees' return to US offices, CEO Satya Nadella said on Friday that companies forcing employees back to the office amid rising Covid delta cases are ‘shortsighted’.
“I’m looking forward to the entire world overcoming this challenge, because until we do so any particular company, region thinking they’ve found the answer, I think will just be shortsighted," Satya Nadella said in an interview with CNBC.
“Our new data shows there is no one-size-fits-all approach to hybrid work, as employee expectations continue to change. The only way for organisations to solve for this complexity is to embrace flexibility across their entire operating model, including the ways people work, the places they inhabit, and how they approach business process," said Nadella.
“Our new data shows there is no one-size-fits-all approach to hybrid work, as employee expectations continue to change. The only way for organizations to solve for this complexity is to embrace flexibility across their entire operating model, including the ways people work, the places they inhabit and how they approach business process," Nadella said.
Microsoft had already postponed its planned return to the workplace from September to no earlier than Oct. 4, but now says the re-opening won't be next month.
Microsoft employs about 181,000 full-time workers, of whom 103,000 are in the US.
“Given the uncertainty of COVID-19, we've decided against attempting to forecast a new date for a full reopening of our US work sites," Jared Spataro, a corporate vice president, wrote in a blog post.
Microsoft will wait for public health guidance on when it is safe to return, Spataro said. It will then give workers a 30-day transition period to prepare.
Last month Microsoft said it will require proof of vaccination for all employees, vendors and visitors to its U.S. offices starting this fall.
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