Microsoft rolls out pandemic bonus worth 1.12 lakh to all its employees!

Satya Nadella headed Microsoft announced a USD 1,500 (over INR 1.12 Lakh) pandemic bonus to employees, considering the challenging fiscal year that the tech giant just completed. Microsoft is said to give this bonus to all staff employees below the corporate vice president level that started on or before March 31, 2021. It also includes part-time workers and those working on hourly rates.

It has been a difficult year for each person in the world owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. The last 18 months have really been devastating at the global level. Microsoft executives have the same thought, and in consideration of the employees in times like these, they have decided to provide employee compensation for their support to the company and also the hardships they had to face due to the pandemic. Microsoft's chief people officer (CPO), Kathleen Hogan, on 9th July, 2021 has also announced gifts to all eligible employees in both the US and internationally. It is a gift of around USD 200 million or less than 2 days' worth of profit for Microsoft.

Who is not eligible for the bonus?

Microsoft has 1,75,508 employees worldwide. As mentioned above, many of the approximately 2 lakh employees are eligible for this bonus. However, the employees of its subsidiaries LinkedIn, ZeniMax, and GitHub will not be eligible for the pandemic bonus.

Why are major tech companies giving bonuses?

Recently, a trend has been reported reflecting that a lot of employees are quitting their jobs as offices are reopening. These gifts to employees are a part of the efforts taken by tech companies to keep employees happy during the pandemic and assure that they join back when offices reopen. It is important to state that earlier this year, Facebook gifted its 45,000 employees a 1000 dollar bonus each whereas Amazon gave a USD 300 holiday bonus to its frontline employees.

Microsoft delays the reopening of offices

Microsoft has deferred its reopening of offices till September, after which it seeks to slowly reopen office premises of Redmond, Washington-based headquarters, and nearby campuses from March 29 with a six-stage hybrid workplace strategy. Currently, Microsoft office locations in 21 countries have been able to accommodate additional workers in its facilities, which represent around 20% of its total global employee population.