Microsoft Workers Now Need Special Clearance To Enter Executive Buildings After Brad Smith Office Occupation

A sense of unease has settled over Microsoft's sprawling campus following a recent incident that has reshaped the company's security landscape.

The occupation of Microsoft President Brad Smith's office by a group of disgruntled employees has led to a dramatic shift in policy, introducing a new era of heightened security and restricted access.

A New Era of Security at Microsoft

Following a protest where current and former workers occupied a senior executive's office, Microsoft has altered its internal communication channels and built security measures. According to an internal post seen by The Wall Street Journal, the company has closed an internal communication channel where employees could question senior executives and discuss contentious social issues.

It has also limited employee access to specific buildings on its Redmond, Washington campus, based on information from people familiar with the situation. The company also informed employees on Tuesday that they must work from an office three days a week.

Internal Communication Channel Shut Down After Protests

During a sit-in on 26 August, participants went into President Brad Smith's office and put up banners to protest the company's cloud-computing deal with the Israeli government. After the incident, the company dismissed five employees.

A few days after the protest, Microsoft closed the 'Senior Leader Connection' channel, which was available to all employees on the company's Viva Engage platform.

Posts on the channel claimed that Microsoft's Azure cloud computing agreement with Israel was helping the country store data and target Palestinians in Gaza. They questioned how executives were assessing the partnership.

According to a post on Viva Engage, Microsoft is now prioritising town hall meetings with presubmitted questions as the main way for employees to interact with senior leaders. The company has replaced the Senior Leader Connection forum with a new channel which restricts general employees from sharing posts.

Microsoft said it has 'a responsibility and commitment to creating an inclusive and safe digital workplace.' The Satya Nadella-led company is also changing how employees can move around its campus.

Microsoft's Shift to Stricter Campus Access

According to people familiar with the matter, workers can now only enter certain buildings, including those with senior executives' offices, if the building is officially listed as their main office, a change from previous policy.

Just three days after the sit-in at Smith's office, on 29 August, the group No Azure for Apartheid had organisers at a table on a bridge leading to the Microsoft campus. Microsoft employees set up a barricade in front of the table, creating a separation between the organisers and those passing by.

According to a video of the event, multiple company security staff were positioned near the barricade while a drone was flown above the organisers.

Microsoft has a history of limiting employee discussions about the conflict in Gaza; it has used internal moderators to lock or delete comment threads that, according to the company, went against its discussion guidelines. The company has stated it takes action when content breaches its policies.

The sit-in was the culmination of months of protests by both current and former employees. Organisers have previously interrupted company conferences by shouting during keynote speeches and have hung Palestinian flags and banners across the campus.

Microsoft has, on at least one occasion, contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation to ask for information on planned protests, though it's unclear if the agency replied to the request.

Microsoft had previously investigated its contracts with Israel, stating it found no proof that its software was being used to cause harm. The company recently announced it would examine the matter again, this time with the help of Covington & Burling, which is both Smith's former employer and a long-standing legal resource for Microsoft.

Company-Wide Policy Change: Three Days in the Office

In a separate move, Microsoft informed employees on Tuesday that they must now work from the office three days a week. Before this, staff could work remotely for up to 50% of their time, or more if their manager approved it.

According to the company, the new rule will be implemented for employees in the Seattle area at the end of February, before being introduced elsewhere.

Originally published on IBTimes UK

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