This news has nothing to do with technology, but in the end big companies are made up of people. Such people sometimes consider themselves above good and evil, and problems may arise. At Microsoft, in order not to do like Activision-Blizzard, it has decided to strengthen its position against sexual harassment and will have a law firm for this.

Microsoft will fight sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the company

Following the shareholder’s decision, Microsoft’s board of directors agreed to conduct a review of the effectiveness of the company’s policies and practices on sexual harassment and gender discrimination.

The fact is that Microsoft once had a difficult situation with Bill Gates himself. He sexually harassed lower-ranking employees and had an affair with a subordinate that lasted several years. The review will be conducted by the law firm Arent Fox, which will do the following work:

• This will result in the publication of a Transparency Report to assess the effectiveness of company policies, training and related policies on sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the workplace. This will include a review of concerns raised by employees in 2019 in the “Need Assistance” series, the steps the company has taken to address those concerns, and additional steps that can strengthen those protections. The review will also include an analysis of policies, practices and commitments aimed at creating a safe and inclusive work environment.
• The report will summarize the results of any sexual harassment investigations during the same period against members of the company’s board of directors and management, including allegations the board committee has investigated since 2019 and the involvement of Bill Gates.
• It will evaluate measures that have been taken to hold employees, including managers, accountable in cases of sexual harassment or gender discrimination.
• This will include data on the number of sexual harassment cases investigated and resolved.

Satya Nadella moves on to the proposal

For his part, Satya Nadella, President and CEO of Microsoft, said: “Our culture remains our top priority, and the entire Board of Directors appreciates the critical importance of a safe and inclusive environment for all Microsoft employees. We are committed to not only reviewing the report, but learning from the assessment so that we can continue to improve our employee experience. I accept this comprehensive review as an opportunity to continue improvement.”

This should not be taken as a joke, it is a very dangerous situation. We hope that this action by Microsoft will serve as a model for other companies and be a game changer for all companies in this sector.