Shutterstock
Microsoft is the latest tech giant to adopt a situation forced on by the coronavirus pandemic as a permanent policy moving forward.
This week, Microsoft told its employees that they will be free to work from home permanently and will not be forced to come into the office for their jobs. The new guidance is part of Microsoft’s “hybrid workplace” which will allow employees to split time between home and the office or to work from home altogether.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged all of us to think, live, and work in new ways,” Microsoft said in a memo, according to The Verge.
“We will offer as much flexibility as possible to support individual workstyles, while balancing business needs, and ensuring we live our culture.”
Working remotely became a common practice at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in an effort to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Now, as our lives continue to adapt to the times, the shift towards at-home work is more widely accepted.
The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 7.53 million confirmed cases and 211,000 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
