Microsoft—Microsoft mandated 3-day office return policy criticized by engineers as 'soft layoff tool' amid 15,000 layoffs
In September 2025, Microsoft announced a mandatory return-to-office policy requiring employees within 50 miles of offices to work onsite three days per week starting February 23, 2026. The policy was announced by Chief HR Officer Amy Coleman amid 15,000 layoffs in 2025 (6,000 in May, 9,000 in July). Engineers and critics labeled the RTO mandate a 'soft layoff tool' designed to trigger voluntary resignations without formal severance payouts. An Azure engineer stated: 'There's a growing sense that the RTO mandate isn't about collaboration. They know that if they force everyone back to the office, a certain percentage will choose to leave on their own.' Despite Microsoft's denial that the policy aims to reduce headcount, the timing alongside massive layoffs and CEO Nadella's statements about needing to move faster suggest workforce reduction through attrition.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Transparency | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Worker Rights | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.497 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (medium ×1) × confidence (0.66)
Evidence (2 signals)
Engineers criticized Microsoft RTO mandate as 'soft layoff tool' to induce voluntary resignations
Microsoft engineers and critics labeled the return-to-office mandate a 'soft layoff tool' designed to trigger voluntary resignations without formal severance payouts. An Azure Cloud Operations engineer told The HR Digest: 'There's a growing sense that the RTO mandate isn't about collaboration. They know that if they force everyone back to the office, a certain percentage will choose to leave on their own.' Employees who spoke with The Verge said the mandate could be a type of stealth layoffs, coming amid 15,000 layoffs in 2025 and morale at historic lows despite $27 billion in quarterly profits.
Microsoft CHRO announced mandatory 3-day office policy for employees within 50 miles starting February 2026
Chief Human Resources Officer Amy Coleman announced in September 2025 that Puget Sound-area employees living within 50 miles of a Microsoft office would be required to work onsite three days per week by the end of February 2026. Coleman stated: 'We've looked at how our teams work best, and the data is clear: when people work together in person more often, they thrive — they are more energized, empowered, and they deliver stronger results.' The policy would roll out in phases to other U.S. and international locations.