Microsoft is continuing to improve its policies for its workforce. In the latest effort, Microsoft employees are soon to be able to take unlimited time off. This is because from January 16, the company's new “Discretionary Time Off” policy will come into action.
However, it is worth noting the Discretionary Time Off policy only applies in the United States and to full-time Microsoft employees.
The Verge found an internal company email from Kathleen Hogan, Microsoft's chief people officer.
“How, when, and where we do our jobs has dramatically changed,” reads the memo. “And as we've transformed, modernizing our vacation policy to a more flexible model was a natural next step.”
Under the new policy, all salaried full-time employees can claim unlimited time off, sick/mental health time off, and leaves of absence. Microsoft employees who have accrued time can have a one-time payout in April.
At the moment, Microsoft is only enacting the policy within the United States. In other countries, Microsoft employees still have the previous time off policy. Microsoft says this is simply because laws and regulations in other countries are prohibitive.
Recent Employee-Friendly Attitude
A 2022 report raised concerns regarding the way Microsoft allows harassment and discrimination to fester in the workplace. In response, the company made a commitment to overhaul its policies. Since then, the company has taken a more pro-employee stance than before.
In June last year, the company confirmed employees will have their NDAs and Non-Compete Agreements removed. Furthermore, the company said it will no longer make employee salaries public.
Back in June, Microsoft took a major step by announcing it was open to the idea of labor unions amongst its workforce. Earlier this month, a group of game testers for Microsoft's ZeniMax Media division became the first in the company to unionize.
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