Xbox will require most of its US staff near Seattle to work in the office four days a week. The rule starts on 1 February 2027. It applies to employees who live within 50 miles of the Studio D campus in Redmond, Washington.
Xbox chief people officer Jacinda Chislum Pearson wrote in an internal memo that the change is meant to create more chances for people to work together. Microsoft asked staff to come in three days a week last year. Staff with exemptions must apply again.
π The Backstory
The change comes a day after reports that Microsoft plans more Xbox layoffs this month, in November and in January. In July the company said it would cut about 20 per cent of Xbox jobs by June 2027.
Many big tech firms have tightened office rules since 2023, even as staff say commuting costs time and money. Microsoft says leaders should be present and that office days should not be spent on video calls from another building.
π― Why It Matters
Office rules affect thousands of workers and the city centres around them. They also show how much power employers still have over hybrid work.
Xbox will require most of its US staff near Seattle to work in the office four days a week. The rule starts on 1 February 2027. It applies to employees who live within 50 miles of the Studio D campus in Redmond, Washington.
Xbox chief people officer Jacinda Chislum Pearson wrote in an internal memo that the change is meant to create more chances for people to work together. Microsoft asked staff to come in three days a week last year. Staff with exemptions must apply again.
The change comes a day after reports that Microsoft plans more Xbox layoffs this month, in November and in January. In July the company said it would cut about 20 per cent of Xbox jobs by June 2027.
Many big tech firms have tightened office rules since 2023, even as staff say commuting costs time and money. Microsoft says leaders should be present and that office days should not be spent on video calls from another building.
Office rules affect thousands of workers and the city centres around them. They also show how much power employers still have over hybrid work.