Share this article

With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier

Microsoft agrees to third-party review of its harassment and discrimination policies

4 min. read

Published onJanuary 14, 2022

published onJanuary 14, 2022

Share this article

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more

In a move that feels like a no-brainer, Microsoft’s board has agreed upon a third-party audit of itssexual harassment and gender discriminationpractices and policies.

With 78 percent approval from its board back in November 2021, Microsoft is now announcing a plan to move forward with an outside firm’s audit of its own sexual harassment and gender discrimination policies.

Inthe press release from Microsoft, the company is looking to have the audit “benchmark Microsoft’s current practices against ‘best practices’ adopted by other companies, with the goal of identifying additional opportunities for improvement.”

While the board was under pressure from mounting pre-existing violations as well as the recent investigations into former co-founder and CEO Bill Gates, will address only part of the proposal initially submitted by Arjuna Captial.

Arjuna Capital’s managing partner, Natasha Lamb asked Microsoft to release the results of an independent investigation into the sexual harassment allegations levied at Gates.

The newly released plan will not reinvestigate Gates or the claims publicly, but will assess the overall investigation into the allegations into Gates.

Instead, the law firm Arent Fox will focus on the following, according to Microsoft’s released plan:

According toa report from GeekWire,, Lamb believes Microsoft is not only acting in “Good Faith” but that invoking a level of transparency and accountability will help Microsoft become “a better company.”

However, it should be noted that not only did Microsoft’s board initially reject the proposal when it was first brought to a vote calling it “unnecessary” as the company had recently planned to do public reporting of its harassment and discrimination policy implementation yearly, but that there is still a layer between the public and the results of Fox’s audit.

In Thursday’s press release, Microsoft ends its third-party audit announcement with the following:

Following this review, the Arent Fox firm will first provide a report to the Board and management detailing its findings and recommendations. The company’s management team will then prepare an implementation plan to act on the recommendations and will report to the Board on this plan. The Board will then publish a public report documenting the review and its findings as well as management’s plans for enhancements to current policies and practices.

Theoretically, if Microsoft’s doesn’t like or agree with Fox’s initial assessment or plans, it could negotiate a more favorable report in the end where in Microsoft’s board presents that to the public.

I’m not saying the theory holds water, but it is something to consider with Microsoft board members getting first crack at the audit report rather than the public as the company inches more towards transparency and accountability.

Kareem Anderson

Networking & Security Specialist

Kareem is a journalist from the bay area, now living in Florida. His passion for technology and content creation drives are unmatched, driving him to create well-researched articles and incredible YouTube videos.

He is always on the lookout for everything new about Microsoft, focusing on making easy-to-understand content and breaking down complex topics related to networking, Azure, cloud computing, and security.

User forum

0 messages

Sort by:LatestOldestMost Votes

Comment*

Name*

Email*

Commenting as.Not you?

Save information for future comments

Comment

Kareem Anderson

Networking & Security Specialist

He is a journalist from the bay area, now living in Florida. He breaks down complex topics related to networking, Azure, cloud computing, and security

With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low#

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app#

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities#

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount#

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier#

Microsoft agrees to third-party review of its harassment and discrimination policies#