Are you sick of morning commutes, overpriced office lunches, and sterile water-cooler chit-chat? If so, it’s probably time to join the ranks of millions of US workers that have gone remote.
Fortunately, ditching in-office work doesn’t need to come at odds with career progression either, with industry leader Microsoft leading the charge when it comes to remote work. The company is currently advertising hundreds of fully remote roles, with specialisms ranging from AI to marketing.
Remote roles are getting harder to come by, with Amazon announcing a full 5-day return to office this week. If you’re interested grabbing a remote job while you have the chance, and working at a tech company that really values inclusion, from the comfort of your living room, we’ve rounded up some exciting roles you should know about this September.
Fully Remote Jobs at Microsoft for August 2024
Microsoft is hiring for 530 fully remote roles, at the time of writing. Out of these opportunities, 245 are expected to report to US offices, while the remaining will have leadership based in international offices. If you’re only considering roles that operate in US time zones, we recommend tailoring your search, so you’re only shown these jobs.
While the Washington-based company still offers heaps more role remote opportunities than competing tech companies like Google and Apple, the number of job listings available this month is considerably smaller than those offered in August. With this in mind, we’d recommend striking while the iron is hot and applying soon, in case the company scales back on remote hiring in the future.
Here is a selection of some fully remote jobs you could go for:
- Product Marketing Manager – Thought Leadership & Storytelling
- Principal Thermal Engineer
- Principal Software Engineer
- Senior Technical Program Manager
- Global Senior Critical Environment (CE) Application Service Engineer
- Senior Software Engineer – Azure Networking
- Principal Software Engineer- AI Search
- Principal Thermal Engineer
- Principal Software Engineer- AI Search
- Principal Security Software Engineer
- Senior Product Manager, Threat Protection Events, Research and Roadmap
- Microsoft Healthcare Data & AI Technical Specialist – Database
- Technical Program Manager
- Senior Compliance Technical Program Manager
All of these roles let you work remotely 100% of the time. If you’re open to hybrid forms of work, you’ll be eligible for even more opportunities. Refer the Microsoft careers page for the company’s full list of roles.
Inclusivity Is Driving Microsoft’s Flexible Working Arrangements
Microsoft was one of the fastest companies to embrace remote work at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the company mandating a work-from-home policy for most employees in March 2020.
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From the early days, the company was also committed to making this transition as inclusive as possible, by letting employees choose to turn their cameras off in meetings, and promoting equity and accessibility in the virtual hiring process by prioritizing the unique needs of applicants.
Skip to the current day, and Microsoft’s decision to double down on remote work — despite the recent wave of return to office (RTO) mandates — follows the same principles of inclusion. Specifically, Microsoft’s flexible work policy is aligned with “One Microsoft,” its initiative which aims to foster a more collaborative and inclusive organizational culture, where the potential of every employee is nurtured.
While the tech giant still purports the benefit of in-person working, with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella previously warning that, “Digital technology should not be a substitute for human connection” in an interview with the New Yorker, the company remains mindful of the inclusive benefits of remote working.
This is a starkly different approach to those adopted by lots of companies in 2024, including Dell, which recently hit the headlines over its nightmare RTO policy. The mandatory policy resulted in almost 50% of company staff choosing to stay at home, even though this meant them sacrificing future promotions.
Are You Ready to Give Up the Office?
For most of us, trading in the office for a five-step commute is a no-brainer. However, despite the clear benefits of working from home — especially for employees with disabilities or those with caregiving responsibilities — ditching in-person work completely won’t be the right choice for everyone.
For workers keen on a blend of solitary and collaborative working, hybrid models can offer the best of both worlds. Unless you’re making a proactive effort to leave the house and pursue co-working opportunities, working remotely can be isolating. In fact, research shows that remote workers are twice as likely to feel lonely at work compared to office workers, and even more in comparison with hybrid employees.
What’s more, a recent survey shows that remote work may not be the burnout panacea we once thought. According to Gallup, 24% of remote workers report feeling burned out most of the time, compared to 27% of their hybrid and fully on-site counterparts. While this percentage is slightly smaller for home-workers, these findings suggest that a company’s working arrangement isn’t the only factor that impacts wellbeing, with their organizational culture also being a huge contributor.
Ultimately, the conversation about where we work is an important one. But with fully remote, hybrid, and in-office models all providing workers with unique sets of benefits and challenges, it’s important to consider your own unique working style before shutting down any option completely.
