Microsoft employees met with CEO Satya Nadella on April 4 to discuss concerns of discrimination against women in career advancement as well as claims of sexual harassment, according to Wired. Nadella was empathetic and expressed his disappointment and he and Chief People Officer Kathleen Hogan said the company will be more transparent about career advancement, according to a Microsoft employee who attended the meeting and spoke to Wired. Nadella emailed Microsoft employees on April 15 to announce key changes to the human resources process, according to the email acquired by Quartz. Microsoft confirmed to Forbes that the email is authentic.
The meeting was a response to a widespread online discussion that started late last month and began with an email posted to a company distribution list on March 20. A Microsoft employee asked other employees for advice about how to move up the ranks at the company because she said she worked in the same position for six years without seeing an opportunity for advancement. Hundreds of women responded to the email and shared their own experiences with alleged discrimination and claims of harassment as well as advice for their colleagues, according to more than 90 pages of emails reviewed by Quartz.
“I’m disappointed to hear about any behavior in our workplace that falls short of the diverse and inclusive culture we are striving to create. But I’m encouraged that people feel empowered to speak up and demand change. I want all of us to learn and act on this feedback,” Nadella wrote in the company-wide email, “I appreciate that leadership in this area needs to start at the top. It also must involve deeds and not just words. As a Senior Leadership Team, we’ve sought to exercise our own growth mindset, listening and learning from the ongoing feedback and using this learning to take new steps.”
The primary changes Nadella outlined include additional support and trainings for all employees, a required learning track for managers and the creation of a new “Employee Advocacy Team.” The human resources team will “focus exclusively on assisting employees going through a workplace investigation, including helping employees understand the process, guiding them through investigations and following up after investigations are finished to check in on the employees involved,” Nadella wrote. Microsoft plans to hire additional human resources staff, work towards faster investigations and implement consistent disciplinary guidelines.
"We recognize the importance not only of taking effective action following investigations but doing so consistently across the company. We will develop new company-wide disciplinary guidelines for work-related misbehavior," wrote Nadella, "When an investigation is finished, we will provide to a manager both a factual conclusion about the findings and the range of expected discipline. Going forward, a manager will no longer be permitted to depart from the recommended range without the approval of a corporate vice president." Nadella said that Microsoft has committed to internally publishing information about the types of concerns, violations and disciplinary action at least once a year starting in 2020.
In further efforts to increase accountability and transparency, Microsoft plans to continue to share annual pay equity and representation data and will also include data about career advancement. A commitment to diversity and inclusion will be part of the rewards process for all employees and a factor in compensation decisions for senior leaders, according to Nadella. “If you are not helping to create an inclusive culture, your rewards, your career trajectory and possibly even your employment will be impacted,” Nadella wrote.
“Put together, I believe these new steps will move us farther and faster to create an inclusive culture that values diversity and helps us all exercise a growth mindset to learn from each other, Nadella wrote, "But these will not be the last steps we take. There is a role for every one of us. Each of us can ask ourselves: What can I do to help? How can I show respect and empathy for my colleagues? How can I speak up when I see non-inclusive behavior?”
As a Microsoft spokesperson told Forbes, “We each have a role to play in closing the gap between the culture we seek and the day-to-day realities we experience."
