New Delhi, Sept. 10 -- Microsoft has announced that employees will be required to work from the office at least three days a week starting next year, beginning with staff based near its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, the tech giant said in a blog post on Tuesday.

Microsoft first introduced a flexible work policy in late 2020, when employees returned to offices after pandemic-forced closures. The policy officially allowed workers to work remotely at least half of the time without approval, though in practice, it was more lenient, with most employees continuing to work from home most of the time.

The new policy will be rolled out in three phases, starting with employees near the company's headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Gradual...