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The company’s board of directors announced on Thursday that it has chosen a law firm to review Microsoft’s sexual harassment and gender discrimination policies, after shareholders raised alarm about the way Microsoft and its co-founder Bill Gates treat employees, particularly women.
The board said it chose Washington DC-based Arent Fox, Microsoft said, which the firm has done in the past with no employment-related work for him.
Shareholders made a decision at the company’s 2021 annual meeting to review the policies Microsoft has implemented to protect its employees from abuse and unwanted sexual behavior.
The decision was passed with the support of almost 78 percent of Microsoft shareholders. This was just one of five recommendations on ethical issues put forward by shareholders for success. Others, such as a call for a report on racial and gender pay gaps at the company, and a commitment to ban the sale of facial recognition to government agencies, have failed.
“Microsoft is under intense public scrutiny due to numerous allegations of sexual harassment and its alleged failure to adequately and transparently address them,” the text said. “Reports of Bill Gates’ inappropriate dealings and sexual attempts at Microsoft employees have only raised concerns and questioned the culture created by senior leadership and the board’s role in holding those accountable.”
According to reports in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, when Mr. Gates ran Microsoft, he wanted at least two employees. At one event in 2007, Mr. Gates sat down for a presentation by a Microsoft employee, then immediately emailed him to ask for a date. Microsoft leaders later Warned Mr. Gates not to do such things. Microsoft’s board of directors in 2019 received a letter From an engineer who claimed to have had a sexual relationship with Mr. Gates in 2000. A spokesperson for Mr Gates confirmed that the two had an “amicably ended” relationship.
Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, said on Thursday that workplace culture is Microsoft’s “No. 1 priority.”
“We are committed not only to reviewing the report, but also to learning from the assessment so we can continue to improve our employees’ experiences,” he said.
Karen Weise contributing reporting.
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