Microsoft scraps return-to-office plan as delta variant rages

The Microsoft campus in Mountain View, California, US. The company’s strategy is similar to one adopted by fellow tech giant Apple Inc, which has delayed its own return-to-office plans multiple times. — Bloomberg

Microsoft Corp is scrapping plans to fully reopen offices by Oct 4, saying it can no longer give a date for returning to work because the pandemic is too unpredictable.

“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 in favour of opening US work sites as soon as we’re able to do so safely based on public health guidance,” the Redmond, Washington-based software maker said in a blog post Thursday. “From there, we’ll communicate a 30-day transition period that provides time for employees to prepare.”