Microsoft asked its employees to return to the office three days per week last year, and it’s now upping this requirement to four days a week for most Xbox employees. An internal memo, seen by The Verge, describes the change as a “need to create more opportunities for people to work together” after feedback from Xbox employees.
“Starting February 1st, 2027, Xbox employees in Puget Sound who live within 50 commuting miles of Studio D are required to work from the office a minimum of four days a week,” says Jacinda Chislum Pearson, Xbox chief people officer, in the internal memo. “We have thousands of Xbox employees within commuting distance of Redmond. Taking advantage of that proximity and working together in person makes it easier to review work, resolve issues, and make decisions without the burden of scheduling another meeting.”
The change to four days in the office will only apply to those close to Microsoft’s corporate campus in Redmond, Washington, and Pearson’s memo appears to suggest that “established in-office practices” for Xbox studios will remain unchanged.
Microsoft has had exemptions to its return to office rules for certain roles, and Xbox employees with existing exemptions will need to resubmit them again. The return to office changes come just a day after a report suggested Microsoft was planning to announce further Xbox layoffs this month, and in November and January. Microsoft announced in July that it was planning to eliminate around 20 percent of Xbox jobs by the end of its financial year at the end of June 2027.
Xbox is also positioning its updated return to office policy as one that “should be worth the investment” of taking the time to commute into the office, especially for those 40-50 miles away. “Leaders should be present, and coming into the office should not mean spending the same day on Teams calls from a different building,” says Pearson. “Time well spent means reviewing work, solving problems, and playing games together, strengthening our path to becoming one Xbox.”