January 17, 2022
Microsoft will review its policies on sexual harassment and gender discrimination in response to a shareholder proposal at its recent annual board meeting.
The review aims to produce a transparency report that would include investigations into the company’s executives, the most high-profile allegation to date being the 2019 investigation into founder Bill Gates’s alleged romantic involvement with a Microsoft employee.
Gates stepped down from the board in 2020. His spokesperson has denied that his resignation had anything to do with the said probe.
The review will also take into account the number of cases investigated and how each case has been resolved by the company, including how executives and other employees have been held accountable for sexual harassment and gender discrimination complaints.
In addition, Microsoft hired independent law firm Arent Fox to conduct the review. The firm is expected to publish its findings and recommendations in order to achieve greater transparency.
For more information, read the original story in Reuters.
