Update: Microsoft's return date has now been moved to October 4 and all returning employees will have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Microsoft has said that from now on, working from home part time—up to 50 percent of the time—will be “standard” for its employees, but that the company won’t be “committing to having every employee work from anywhere.” As of late June, Microsoft hadn't required most of its teams to return to the office and the earliest date for a full reopening of the company’s U.S. offices at that time was September 7, according to a Microsoft spokesperson.

Microsoft Executive Vice President Kurt DelBene said the company’s COVID-19 return-to-office policies are designed to provide guidance on how plans will change based on local public health data and government guidelines. Microsoft created a “Hybrid Workplace Dial” that outlines six stages for reopening, with each office progressing at its own pace. The company is also polling employees along the way and says that 54 percent of respondents who have returned to work are working in the office less than 25 percent of the time. To share insights into the new hybrid world of work, Microsoft has also published the 2021 Work Trend Index, including data and research on remote work from throughout the pandemic.

Update: Facebook has postponed its full return to the office target date to January 2022 and has updated its policy to require all returning workers to be fully vaccinated.

Facebook has already reopened its Menlo Park headquarters at 10 percent capacity as of May and the company was planning to have most of its U.S. offices operating at 50 percent capacity by early September, with a full reopening planned for October.

Facebook announced that beginning on June 15, all employees will be able to request the option to work remotely, if their role allows. “We believe we could have tens of thousands of people, about 50 percent, working remotely in the future, and our goal is to be the most forward-leaning company for remote work at our scale,” said a spokesperson for Facebook.

For those who relocate or work remotely, the company will adjust salaries—likely downward—to match the cost of living in their new location.

The company also announced that employees can now work from “another location where they have work authorization” for 20 days during the course of the year. As for international remote work, Facebook will now support some employees who want to relocate to Canada from the U.S. or to the U.K. from other countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In 2022, the company will open up opportunities for relocation and remote work in seven more countries in the EMEA region.

Update: Google's full-scale return to the office has been moved to October 19 and the company updated its policy to require returning workers to be vaccinated.

Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has said the company will work to create a fully hybrid workplace, with 20 percent of employees continuing to work remotely and the rest expected to come into the office at least three days per week. Employees will also be able to work from a location “other than their main office” for up to four weeks each year.

The company announced in early May that employees can continue to work from home until at least September. For offices that have already reopened on a voluntary basis, the company said almost 60 percent of employees have opted to return to the office at least part time.

On compensation, Google is among the companies that have said they will reassess and adjust the salaries of all employees who work remotely or relocate to another office. Google has created a tool for employees to apply for relocation or permanent remote work, with estimates of possible salary changes.

Digital payment startup Stripe, currently the most valuable startup in the U.S., is continuing to allow an increasing number of employees to work remotely full time.

The firm announced in September 2020 that some employees could leave their New York and San Francisco offices to work remotely on a permanent basis. Workers who made the move would receive a $20,000 bonus, but will also be forced to take a 10 percent pay cut. Many remote employees have relocated to areas with a lower cost of living, though Stripe hasn’t made exact figures public.

The fintech startup had already launched a fully-remote engineering hub in 2019, equivalent in many ways to its physical offices.

Stripe was valued at $95 billion in March and has seen significant growth through the pandemic, but has yet to announce any plans for an IPO.

Bank of America expects to have employees back in the office by early September, but only if they’ve been vaccinated. The company asked people to voluntarily disclose their vaccination status and after receiving over 70,000 responses, said those who have been fully vaccinated can already begin returning to work. The company said it will develop a plan to bring those who haven’t been vaccinated back to work after September, but has yet to announce details.

Bank of America is prioritizing a return to work for vaccinated employees as it hopes to “operate fairly normally” in September, with people able to “move about under the CDC guidelines without masks and things like that,” according to CEO Brian Brian Moynihan.

Update: As virus cases have risen around the country, JP Morgan has issued a mask mandate for all its office workers regardless of vaccination status.

JP Morgan plans to have most of its employees back in the office this month and has asked all its U.S. staff to get vaccinated before returning. In a memo to staff, the company said it may require all employees to be vaccinated in the future.

The company has announced it will end most remote work and make a full return to the office on July 6. Some employees may be in the office 50 percent of the time or three days per week, depending on their team and office capacity limits.

JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon said in September 2020 that productivity has decreased with employees working from home. Later that month, the company began phasing workers back into its offices, at first with a cap on capacity of 50 percent or lower.

Update: American Express has postponed the beginning of its new office policy until October 11.

American Express says it will adopt a hybrid model for in-office work, with three days per week in person and two “choice” days when most employees will have the option to work remotely.

“While I expect we will ultimately have some additional colleagues working virtually or on flexible work arrangements, I expect most colleagues will work in our new hybrid format,” CEO Stephen Squeri wrote in a memo to employees.

The new policy was set to go into effect on September 13 for U.S. and U.K. offices, local public health guidelines permitting. Offices will operate at 50 percent capacity or less for the first three weeks. Company executives say contractors will only be returning to the office if they are “business critical.” As of mid-June, the company had reopened 40 of its locations in some capacity.

Update: BlackRock moved its return to the office date to early October.

BlackRock planned to begin a gradual return to its U.S. offices in July and August, with only fully vaccinated employees allowed to come back to work.

“We are evaluating options to accommodate employees who are not vaccinated—and do not anticipate making exceptions during July and August unless there is a critical need,” the company’s leadership wrote in a memo in June.

BlackRock required all employees to report their vaccination status by June 30 and says that as of late June, 85 percent of employees had already self-reported that they have been fully vaccinated or plan to be.

Last September, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said it was unlikely that all employees would return to the office after the pandemic, estimating that 60-70 percent capacity might be more viable. Fink also said he was wary of fully remote work as it may cause a drop in productivity and make it difficult to maintain company culture.

Update: CitiGroup has updated its policy to require returning office workers to be fully vaccinated.

CitiGroup says it will adopt a hybrid work model as its offices reopen, with up to 30 percent of employees returning to the office over the summer. Most employees will work in the office three days or more per week and up to two days from home, though some roles will allow fully remote work. The company’s approach marks a stark contrast to that of others on Wall Street, including Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan.

CitiGroup CEO Jane Fraser says the company will also implement Zoom-free Fridays, when employees will be asked to avoid scheduling any video calls with colleagues.

Morgan Stanley has told its employees they should all return to the office by Labor Day, September 6. The company hasn’t announced any plans to allow continued remote work and Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman said employees who relocate away from New York City shouldn’t expect their salary to remain the same.

The Wall Street giant says employees must be fully vaccinated before they return to their New York and Westchester offices and that anyone who is not vaccinated will have to work remotely beginning July 12. The company reports that almost 90 percent of employees at its New York headquarters have already been vaccinated and required all staff to report their vaccination status to management by July 1.