After 30 years in individual offices, Microsoft’s head of global real estate Michael Ford said the company will be making the transition to collaborative workspaces, while adjusting to current protocols.

“We’ve done our research and we’re transitioning from individual offices to team-based spaces, and those spaces are for eight to twelve engineers, employees, working in a team room or a neighborhood,” said Ford.

Ford added that the company will be keeping physical distancing standards in mind and ensure there is plenty of space between employees.

At the moment, most Microsoft employees are working from home and several have always done so, but Ford expects that number to remain high in the future thanks to the remote working technology that has emerged.

Ford also said he believes that coworking will be a permanent fixture for many companies, but that current circumstances will delay Microsoft’s adoption of the model.