Microsoft Mandates Remote Work for Puget Sound and Bay Area Employees
Microsoft instructs employees in its headquarters region and the Bay Area to work from home through late March to minimize coronavirus exposure. The company also cancels non-essential business travel and advises vulnerable on-site workers to stay home.
Microsoft advises employees in the Puget Sound region and the California Bay Area to work from home through March 25 to limit exposure to the coronavirus. Executive vice president Kurt DelBene shares this recommendation in a blog post, noting that the guidance aligns with health directives from King County, Washington. More than a third of Microsoft's 151,163 employees work in the Puget Sound area, making this a significant operational shift.
While remote work applies to those whose jobs allow it, essential on-site personnel continue to report to data centers and retail stores as usual. However, DelBene specifies that on-site workers who are over 60, pregnant, or have compromised immune systems consult with their managers to avoid coming in. Additionally, Microsoft urges employees to limit prolonged close interactions and strictly avoid the campuses unless their visits are absolutely essential.
The technology giant also cancels all non-essential business travel to areas affected by the coronavirus and postpones trips to its Puget Sound and Bay Area campuses. This move follows Microsoft's earlier decision to cancel a planned conference in the Puget Sound area and mirrors similar precautionary steps taken by peers like Facebook, Google, and Amazon.