Microsoft disbanded a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) team, according to emails obtained by Business Insider.
A Microsoft DEI leader wrote in an email, “True systems-change work associated with DEI programs everywhere are no longer business critical or smart as they were in 2020.”
The DEI team was laid off due to “changing business needs,” the email reportedly adds.
Despite the lay-offs, Microsoft spokesperson Jeff Jones said the company’s DEI efforts “remain unchanged.”
“Our focus on diversity and inclusion is unwavering and we are holding firm on our expectations, prioritizing accountability, and continuing to focus on this work,” Jones stated.
The disbandment of the DEI team comes as Microsoft revealed in February that it pays white employees less than minority employees.
“As of September 2023, inside the US, all racial and ethnic minority groups who are rewards eligible combined earn $1.007 total pay for every $1.000 earned by US rewards-eligible white employees with the same job title and level and considering tenure,” a company diversity report stated. “Specifically, for those who are rewards eligible, US Black and African American employees earn $1.004; Hispanic and Latinx employees earn $1.004; and Asian employees earn $1.012 for every $1.000 earned by US rewards-eligible white employees with the same job title and level and considering tenure.”
The system was part of Microsoft’s “pay equity,” which “accounts for factors that legitimately influence total pay, including things like job title, level, and tenure. Our pay equity analysis adjusts for these factors in support of our commitment to pay employees equitably for substantially similar work.”
