Microsoft was recently hit with a potential class action lawsuit claiming that its employee ranking and promotion policy led to gender discrimination against its female employees. The suit was first filed in a federal court in Seattle by Katherine Moussouris, a former Microsoft technician who claims the tech giant passed her over for several promotions that were instead given to less qualified men. She was told this was because supervisors didn't like her "manner or style."
Microsoft gives a numerical ranking to each employee based on a series of performance evaluations. According to the lawsuit, female employees consistently received lower ratings in categories with subjective criteria.
Before this lawsuit was filed, Microsoft already had a reputation for treating female employees unfairly. Just last year, Satya Nadella, the company's CEO faced heavy criticism after publicly arguing that women shouldn't ask for pay raises, and that they rather should trust their employers to provide fair compensation.
"Microsoft systematically undervalues the efforts and achievements of its female technical employees," says Moussouris' attorney.
Women generally earn less money than their male peers, and this is no less true in the tech industry, where men earned close to 24 percent more than their female coworkers.
The Meyers Law Firm is not representing the aforementioned case.
If you have faced sexual harassment or gender discrimination in the workplace or in your job hunt, and believe you might have a lawsuit on your hands, contact The Meyers Law Firm. Our expert employment discrimination lawyers can assess your claim and discuss your next steps.