Strange to go here with a Microsoft story not directly tied to Apple, but it could be a sign of things to come. Engadget says Mr. Softy’s planning to reopen a number of its corporate offices by the end of this month. That would put the back-to-work crew back-to-work nearly two-years after COIVD-19 forced a run on “Out of Office” memos. The plan, according to Engadget, is for Microsoft:
…to enter the “final stage” of its Washington state return-to-work plan starting Feb 28th, at which point facilities (including the company's Redmond headquarters) and services will be completely open to workers and visitors alike.
The piece says that starts a 30-day-clock for staff and the managers who manage them to hammer out whatever work routine they’ve worked out, be it work-from-home, work-from-work, or a hybrid of the two.
The same goes for Microsoft’s presence in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to the report. Those will also begin the reopening process on 28 February. Reopening around the rest of the country will happen “as conditions allow,” according to the software giant.
I say it could be a sign of things to come. Engadget points out that Microsoft’s schedule is more aggressive that other titans of tech. Facebook isn’t planning for back-to-work-at-work until 28 March. “Apple and others have indefinite delays," according to the report.
