Leaked memo: Microsoft is offering 12 weeks paid leave for parents as schools remain closed for the academic year

• Microsoft is offering 12 weeks of paid leave to parents as schools remain closed during the coronavirus crisis.
• Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington state, where Microsoft is headquarters, on Monday expanded school closures through the end of the academic year.
• "The HR leadership team heard your feedback and requests for greater flexibility and time off to help accommodate WFH schedules as you face extended school closures," a company executive wrote in an email to staff viewed by Business Insider.
• Click here to read more BI Prime stories.

Microsoft is offering 12 weeks paid leave to employees as schools remain closed during the coronavirus crisis, according an internal memo reviewed by Business Insider.

Microsoft Chief Digital Officer Kurt DelBene notified employees about the benefit in an April 6 email.

"The HR leadership team heard your feedback and requests for greater flexibility and time off to help accommodate WFH schedules as you face extended school closures," DelBene wrote in the email. "To help alleviate some of this pressure, we are extending your leave options."

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The memo is sparse on details about who is eligible, but says parents can use the benefit on a "continuous, reduced or intermittent basis," such as using the benefit to take off one or two days a week and work remotely for the rest.

Microsoft has yet to respond to a request for more information.

In early March, Microsoft initially offered two weeks paid leave to parents who couldn't work remotely while their children were home, either because of childcare needs or job requirements, but school closures have persisted as the coronavirus crisis worsens.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday expanded school closures in the state through the end of the academic year. Other states throughout the country have enacted similar policies. Microsoft has more than 150,000 employees, including nearly 54,000 in Washington state.

Microsoft has handled the coronavirus crisis internally by mandating that most of its US employees work from home "until further notice," streaming company-wide town halls from executives' homes, expanding benefits like paid leave for parents, and even delivering food and medications to employee's homes. It also confirmed earlier this week confirmed that it is freezing hiring for some roles, citing uncertainty related to the coronavirus crisis.

"We continue to seek industry-leading talent in a range of disciplines as we continue to invest in certain strategic areas," a Microsoft spokesperson said. "However, in light of the uncertainties presented by COVID-19, we are temporarily pausing recruitment for other roles."

The company declined to provide more information about for which positions it's still hiring, and which roles are seeing a hiring pause, though employees that spoke with Business Insider said Microsoft is still hiring for roles within its massive cloud computing business. They also said that the company was holding virtual hiring events for software engineers as recently as last week. Some groups, one employee said, are "prioritizing consumer-facing and critical roles."

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