TOP SOFTWARE GIANT ALLOWS EMPLOYEES TO WORK FROM HOME PERMANENTLY: DETAILS 

As most of the leading companies are allowing work from home permanently for employees amid pandemic, even software giant Microsoft will let their staff work from home permanently if they choose to.

With this move, Microsoft has become the latest employer to expand work-from-home provisions prompted by the pandemic.

According to news website The Verge, Microsoft employees are still at home as the pandemic crisis is dragging on; and the company does not expect to reopen its US offices until January 2021.

But when it does, then employees can choose to work from their homes permanently. Also in that case, the company will have to give up their office space.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged all of us to think, live and work in new ways. We will offer as much flexibility as possible to support individual workstyles, while balancing business needs and ensuring we live our culture," Microsoft's Chief People Officer Kathleen Hogan said to employees in a note.

However, employees, who will need approval from their managers to work remotely on a permanent basis, can spend less than 50 percent of their week outside the office without approval.

Also, some employees won't be eligible for remote-work arrangements, such as those who work in Microsoft's labs or train other employees, The Verge further reported.

Meanwhile in a statement to news agency AFP, a Microsoft spokesperson did not comment on whether work-from-home would be made permanent but stated that, "Our goal is to evolve the way we work over time with intention -- guided by employee input, data and our commitment to support individual workstyles and business needs while living our culture."

Even employees who plan to relocate may see their salaries change depending on where they go, while the company will cover expenses for employees' home offices and it won't cover relocation expenses, The Verge also noted.