Last week, Microsoft rolled out a hybrid remote work policy, meaning a large portion of its 150k employees may be able to WFH in perpetuity.
Microsoft is the latest in a long line of WFH warriors
Other leading companies that have extended their remote work policies in the face of COVID-19 include Indeed, Google, American Express, Airbnb, and Twitter.
Chris Herd — the CEO of remote work startup Firstbase HQ — interviewed ~1k firms over the past 6 months on their WFH plans. The results are eye-opening:
- ~30% said they plan to cut commercial offices completely
- Cost savings are significant ($20k/employee in the office vs. $2k/employee WFH)
Microsoft is drawing product inspiration from the new reality…
… and has taken some big swings on remote features for Teams and Outlook:
- An integration with Headspace for mental health
- Protect Time allows you to block off time for deep work
- A dashboard that managers can use to see which employees may be at risk of burnout
Finally — as a microcosm for how insane 2020 is — Microsoft is rolling out a virtual solution for what could literally kill you in Before Times: commuting.
Microsoft’s “virtual commute” feature is meant to create work-life boundaries the same way that physical commutes used to. #2020
