Microsoft's chief people officer said Microsoft employees need to return to the office to ensure stronger results for their collaborative work efforts.

Microsoft is requiring its U.S. workers to prepare to return to the office at least three days per week in 2026 and will expand the policy globally. File Photo by John G. Mabanglo/EPA UPI

Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Microsoft's chief people officer said Microsoft employees need to return to the office to ensure stronger results for their collaborative work efforts in the artificial intelligence era.

Microsoft is rolling out a hybrid work system requiring workers to be in the office three days each week, starting at its Puget Sound office in Washington state at the end of February.

The change then will apply to all of Microsoft's U.S. locations, and then globally, Amy Coleman, Microsoft's chief people officer and executive vice president, informed the tech firm's employees in an email on Tuesday.

"We've looked at how our teams work best," Coleman said. "The data is clear: When people work together in person more often, they thrive."

Coleman said workers are "more energized [and] empowered, and they deliver stronger results."

Microsoft's goal is for the change to "provide more clarity and consistency in how we come together" while maintaining flexibility for workers.

"In the AI era, we are moving faster than ever, building world-class technology that changes how people live and work and how organizations everywhere operate," Coleman explained.

"If you reflect on our history, the most meaningful breakthroughs happen when we build on each other's ideas together, in real time," she said.

The policy change initially will affect all workers who live within 50 miles of Microsoft's Puget Sound office and those who are contacted by their respective Microsoft executive vice presidents.

Additional timelines and details for other Microsoft offices in the United States will be announced soon.

Planning will begin in 2026 for offices that are located outside of the United States.