Microsoft will amp up its anti-harassment guidelines after investigation following Gates affair

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Microsoft’s adjusting its sexual harassment insurance policies in response to findings from ArentFox Schiff, the legislation agency it employed to guage the corporate’s practices over issues about sexual misconduct and discrimination within the office. The 50-page report lays out a collection of suggestions that Microsoft will implement by June thirtieth, 2023, with some coming into drive sooner than that.

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In a put up on the Microsoft weblog, the corporate’s response commits to publishing an annual report on the corporate’s sexual harassment and gender discrimination insurance policies, which can embrace the variety of reported incidents and the actions taken consequently. It additionally goals to revise its anti-harassment and discrimination coverage, in addition to revamp the way in which it conducts investigations.

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In addition to offering suggestions, the report additionally outlines current harassment and discrimination incidents at Microsoft. According to the report, Microsoft obtained a complete of 721 complete complaints from 2019 to 2021, with 453 gender discrimination experiences making up the bulk, adopted by 210 sexual harassment and 58 gender harassment complaints.

Sex or gender discrimination made up the vast majority of complaints at Microsoft. Image: ArentFox Schiff

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Another part addresses the allegations led to by an Insider report from earlier this yr, which alleges that the corporate let “golden boy” executives get away with inappropriate conduct. The executives implicated within the report, HoloLens co-creator Alex Kipman and cloud government Tom Keane, resigned over the summer season, however ArentFox Schiff’s report suggests there was “a degree of evidence that they were engaging in inappropriate conduct toward female employees” and that the problem “could have been addressed earlier than it was.”

“Cultivating a culture where everyone is empowered to do meaningful work and can thrive is our greatest responsibility at Microsoft,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella mentioned in a press release. “The Board of Directors has taken this investigation seriously and the resulting comprehensive report outlines important areas where we can continue to improve, as well as progress we’ve made.”

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