Microsoft has announced significant changes to its diversity and inclusion initiatives, moving away from its longstanding practice of publishing annual diversity reports and incorporating diversity metrics into employee performance reviews. This decision follows a shift in company strategy, which focuses on more dynamic reporting formats such as stories and videos instead of traditional reports.
Since 2019, Microsoft has published an annual diversity and inclusion report and required employees to report their contributions to these initiatives as part of performance reviews. However, according to Frank Shaw, Microsoft’s chief communications officer, the company will no longer publish these reports and will remove diversity and inclusion from its core priorities in performance evaluations. Employees will no longer be required to detail their actions related to improving these areas.
Internally, Microsoft has classified the changes as a simplification, suggesting a shift towards goals rather than core priorities. The company has replaced specific performance review questions regarding diversity and security with a more generalized inquiry about results and future objectives.
Additionally, Microsoft has updated its internal HR documentation, now emphasizing “inclusion” without explicitly mentioning “diversity.” The company states that inclusion remains essential to its operational culture, but this change has sparked varying responses from employees. Some have expressed concerns about the sincerity of Microsoft’s prior commitments to diversity, while others see these changes as a reflection of broader trends in corporate diversity policies amid political shifts.
In another noteworthy development, Microsoft has been testing an AI personal assistant named “Cosio” for company executives. Initially intended for a wider rollout, it appears that the project might be scaled back as Microsoft assesses its effectiveness. The assistant is described as a next-generation digital worker, designed for deeper integration within the company’s enterprise environment.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/tech/838079/microsoft-diversity-and-inclusion-changes-notepad