Microsoft plans to reopen its Redmond headquarters in the coming days with a cautious return by workers who will be on a permanent flex schedule. The tech giant was among the first to keep its employees home when the pandemic began to spread in the US and its careful re-opening is instrumental to other companies planning to take this step as well. "What we're learning and understanding has led us to use this period in time to grow and evolve our hybrid workplace, building additional capabilities to help our employees, customers and businesses continue to thrive," writes Microsoft Executive Vice President Kurt DelBene in a blog post. He added that one of the company's goals is to allow employees to work where they feel most productive and encourage them to work from home, as COVID remains a concern.

The company made its decision to reopen based on local health data and will be making similar decisions for its global operations depending on conditions on the ground. 

Microsoft's hybrid model will provide limited additional services for employees that return while also supporting those that work remotely.