What Microsoft Hopes Nobody Noticed During Independence Day Week/Weekend
Repeated for emphasis, as per this report:
The company acknowledged 'organisational and workforce adjustments' as a standard practice
[...]
The latest round of layoffs at Microsoft comes amid news of the company agreeing to pay $14.4 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the California Civil Rights Department (CRD).
The tech giant was accused of discriminating against employees who took protected leave, such as parental, family care, disability and pregnancy leave.
The CRD launched an investigation in 2020, suspecting Microsoft violated California's Fair Employment and Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The lawsuit claimed that employees who took protected leave were disadvantaged when it came to bonuses and performance reviews, hindering their chances of promotions, merit increases and stock awards.
CRD further alleged that Microsoft failed to adequately prevent this discrimination, affecting the careers of people with disabilities, women and other employees who took leave. This ultimately caused them to be "left behind" in career advancement.
The settlement will provide direct compensation to the California workers affected from May 2017 until the court's final approval. Additionally, Microsoft has agreed to several measures to ensure fair treatment for employees taking leave.
The company will retain an independent consultant to assess their policies and practices and recommend changes. This includes ensuring managers don't consider protected leave when making decisions about rewards and promotions.
The independent consultant will also create annual reports verifying Microsoft's adherence to the settlement's terms.
Managers and HR personnel will undergo specific training on preventing discrimination related to protected leave.
The company must also establish a clear and accessible process for employees to report concerns that taking leave negatively impacted their standing within the company.
The settlement comes amidst a series of large settlements reached by the CRD in recent years, primarily related to gender discrimination. These include a $100 million deal with Riot Games in 2021, a $54 million settlement with Activision Blizzard in 2023, and a $15 million settlement with Snap last month.
Quite the timing to announce that.
