Microsoft employees protest treatment of women to CEO Nadella
Source: Wired
A group of Microsoft employees appeared at an employee meeting with CEO Satya Nadella Thursday to protest the company’s treatment of women. The protesters asked Nadella to address claims of discrimination against women in promotion and advancement, as well as claims of sexual harassment, raised as part of a widespread discussion that has been building steam on internal company forums for the past two weeks.
Roughly 100 to 150 employees attended the Q&A in person, others watched via livestream. It’s not clear how many were part of the protest, but some female and male employees at the event wore all white, inspired by the congresswomen who wore Suffragette white to the State of the Union in February. In response to the concerns, Nadella was empathetic and expressed his sadness and disappointment. He and chief people officer Kathleen Hogan promised employees additional transparency around advancement within Microsoft, according to a Microsoft employee who attended the meeting.
The catalyst for the online discussion and subsequent protest was an email posted to a distribution list for female employees in late March, according to copies of the discussion viewed by WIRED. The email was written by a woman distraught that she had hit a brick wall after years of trying to gain a promotion, despite the support of her manager, her manager’s manager, and colleagues. “(T)he boy’s club won out on all fronts,” the woman wrote, according to the emails viewed by WIRED.
Hundreds of responses followed with women sharing guidance, showing support, and detailing their own experiences with alleged discrimination and claims of harassment, which were first reported by Quartz.
Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-employees-protest-treatment-women-ceo-nadella/
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Last edited Thu Apr 4, 2019, 06:29 PM - Edit history (1)
Nope -- straight from Microsoft.com:
"As Chief People Officer and executive vice president of Human Resources at Microsoft, Kathleen Hogan empowers 100,000+ global employees to achieve Microsoft’s mission. In her role, she focuses on making Microsoft an exceptional place for employees to work, and ensures that the company is creating a culture that attracts and inspires the world’s most passionate talent."
Apparently that's what they're calling human resource front-office executives these days. From a job description at GlassDoor.com:
We are seeking a Chief People Officer to take this moment of inflection and help us make ******* not just a great place to work, but a transformative life experience.
...All of the Human Resources professionals...and functions will report to this position...includ(ing) employee benefits, hiring/recruiting, and compliance.
Key Responsibilities: Talent architect; Culture creator; Team builder; Data guru; Storyteller...
But while separating human from non-human resources at least implies an attempt at practicality, the title of Chief People Officer suggests that employees are more of a nuisance item -- a necessary evil, like death and taxes!
rocktivity
