Microsoft Will Require Suppliers to Offer Paid Parental Leave

Happen to piece of work for a business that supplies Microsoft with goods and/or services? Your company'due south parental exit policy might soon better.

On Thursday, the software behemothic announced information technology will require its Us suppliers to provide paid parental leave to employees who handle Microsoft piece of work. The move comes later Microsoft in 2022 started requiring its suppliers to provide their employees with paid time off.

Equally part of its new policy, Microsoft will require suppliers with more than than fifty employees to offer their workers at least 12 weeks of paid parental leave, upwards to $1,000 per week, post-obit the birth or adoption of a child. It covers supplier employees who "perform substantial work for Microsoft."

In a weblog post, Microsoft Corporate Vice President and General Counsel Dev Stahlkopf said the new policy was inspired past a family unit go out law passed in Washington land last year that is slated to take event in 2022.

"As we looked at this legislation… we realized that while it will benefit the employees of our suppliers in Washington state, it will leave thousands of valued contributors outside of Washington behind," Stahlkopf wrote. "Then, nosotros fabricated a determination to apply Washington's parental leave requirement more broadly, and not to wait until 2022 to begin implementation."

Redmond said it plans to work with its suppliers to implement this new policy over the side by side 12 months.

"The instance for paid parental leave is clear," Stahlkopf wrote. "Studies show that paid parental get out enriches the lives of families. Women who take paid motherhood get out are more than likely to be in the workforce a year later and earn more than than mothers who exercise not receive paid fourth dimension off. Employers who offering paid time off for new mothers experience improved productivity, college morale, and lower turnover rates."

Men, meanwhile, are more probable to accept paternity leave, and practice and then for longer periods of time, when it'due south paid, Stahlkopf added.

"This increased bonding and time spent caring for immature children is correlated with positive outcomes such equally college exam scores for these children," she wrote. "Farther, when men and women have the opportunity to accept paid go out, it can help annul gender caregiving stereotypes, neutralize stigmas and promote equity in the home and role."

Well-nigh Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo is PCMag's expert on fettle and smart home products. Didactics yoga for nearly x years has helped her in evaluating a range of connected health products including fitness trackers, heart rate monitors, rowers, smart scales, stationary bikes, strength training machines, treadmills, and more. Angela also tests smart home devices from her ranch in Florida, including air purifiers, kitchen appliances, and robot vacuums, just to name a few.