Generally, workplace conflicts have negative effects. They cause tensions that depress productivity and ruin relationships among employees. However, these conflicts can also be leveraged to steer an organization forward. For example, conflicts can be catalysts for meaningful discussions among the various stakeholders in an organization. While conflict can have positive effects, firms should take all necessary steps to prevent them. To understand the damaging impact that conflict can have on workplaces, real examples of firms that were confronted with serious disagreements and conflicts should be considered. Microsoft is among these companies. It failed to properly handle allegations of sexual harassment against its female employees, sparking protests among hundreds of employees who demanded urgent action.
Microsoft
Microsoft is a key player in the technology industry. Established in 1975 and with its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, this firm is primarily involved in the development of digital technology products. It is well recognized for its creation of the Microsoft Office suite. Its mission is to “empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more” (“About”, n.d.). Given this mission, one would expect that Microsoft would prioritize the wellbeing of its employees who work tirelessly to fuel the firm’s growth. As the discussion below will reveal, Microsoft has failed to safeguard the interests of employees, thereby exposing them to hazards in the workplace.
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Description of Conflict
The conflict at Microsoft pitted the firm’s management against its employees. This conflict received extensive media coverage. Forbes’ Gross (2019) is among the journalists who reported on the conflict. He noted that employees were frustrated by the difficulties that women face in their quest for career advancement. According to Gross, the female employees at the company also suffer sexual harassment. He describes the experience of an employee who was threatened with death if she failed to offer sexual favors. In essence, Gross suggests that Microsoft has a toxic culture that makes it difficult for female employees to progress and encourages sexual harassment. Wong (2019) is another journalist who filed a report on the conflict that Microsoft faced. In an article that featured on the online edition of the Guardian, Wong (2019) focused on a protest that Microsoft’s employees staged as they called attention to the hardships that women at the firm endure. While there are some differences between the article by Wong and the one authored by Gross, they are largely similar. Both articles shed light on Microsoft’s unsafe workplace and highlight the steps that the firm has taken to address the complaints raised by its employees.
De-escalation Technique
When conflicts emerge, firms should move with speed to de-escalate them before they affect operations. Microsoft clearly understood that it could not continue to sit idly by as its female employees suffered. The main de-escalation technique that the company adopted involved holding a meeting between the employees and senior leaders. In particular, the employees discussed their concerns with the firm’s Chief Executive, Satya Nadella (Crecente, 2019). There are a number of advantages associated with this de-escalation technique. One, by dispatching its Chief Executive to resolve the situation, Microsoft made it clear that it recognized the gravity of the problem. Two, the meeting with Nadella enabled the company to ensure that steps are taken to eradicate the sexist behaviors and attitudes that had pushed the employees to protest.
Conflict Resolution/Negotiation Process
Hearing the concerns and lamentations of employees is critical. However, it is not necessarily a sufficient conflict resolution approach. Employees expect that firms will take concrete steps to address the issue that gave rise to the conflict. To resolve the conflict that threatened its operations, Microsoft adopted an approach that saw it make a number of concessions and changes. As Novet (2019) reported, the company overhauled its human resource (HR) management practices. For example, it pledged to recruit employees who would be charged with the task of probing allegations of misconduct. Additionally, Microsoft vowed to make inclusion and diversity a key component of its HR strategy (Novet, 2019). This change was clearly intended to assure the female employees that they would be shielded against sexual harassment and provided with the support and opportunities that they need to advance their careers. Another reform that Microsoft announced as part of its efforts to appease the protesting employees involved the introduction of a new performance review process (Novet, 2019). This process was intended to ensure that senior executives are held accountable for how they handle cases of harassment and misconduct.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Approach
By announcing changes, Microsoft assured its employees that it had heard their concerns and was dedicated to improving how it tackles various forms of discrimination. The main advantage of the conflict resolution approach that it adopted is that it enabled the company to address the root causes of the problem. As noted already, the firm grappled with a sexism and sexual harassment problem. This problem was the result of the lack of protocols and safeguards that held senior leaders accountable. The interventions that the firm introduced were designed to ensure that its leaders took all necessary steps to promote safety, inclusion, diversity and fairness in the management of employee affairs. Another advantage of the approach lies in the fact that it enabled Microsoft to set the example for other firms that are struggling with similar conflicts. Perhaps the only disadvantage of the conflict resolution technique is that the measures that Microsoft announced came rather late. Countless women had suffered abuse and harassment. The strategies that Microsoft announced do not erase their pain. However, it is encouraging that large companies like Microsoft recognize the importance of protecting its employees.
Success of Approach and Doing things Differently
Personally, I find that Microsoft’s approach was successful. As made clear in the section above, the changes that Microsoft announced tackled the heart of the problem while enabling it to express sincere regret about the difficulties that its female employees had faced. Furthermore, these changes indicate that Microsoft is among the few companies in the US which take the rights of their female workers seriously. While I applaud Microsoft for its courage and prompt response, I find that there are a number of things that it could have done differently. It was revealed that before resorting to protests, some of the women who had been sexually harassed and denied promotions had approached the firm’s managers with their concerns (Novet, 2019). Instead of taking action, these managers did nothing. I believe that had these managers pursued the perpetrators of harassment, the company would have averted the crisis that it faced. I think that in the future, Microsoft should take any and all claims of harassment seriously and conduct thorough investigations.
In conclusion, sexual harassment is one of the gravest challenges that are threatening firms today. It is sad, unacceptable and unfortunate that many firms have failed to take steps to eliminate sexual harassment. The conflict that Microsoft witnessed as a result of its failure to tackle harassment of its female employees underscore the need for firms to be proactive. Dozens of women claimed that the company frustrated their efforts to progress their careers and sanctioned sexual harassment. In protest, they called for action. Microsoft’s response is indeed acceptable and should serve as a model for other organizations that wish to create a safe and inclusive workplace.
References
About. (n.d). Microsoft. Retrieved April 27, 2019 from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/about
Crecente, B. (2019). Microsoft employees confront Microsoft CEO about sexism, harassment at company. Variety. Retrieved April 27, 2019 from https://variety.com/2019/gaming/news/microsoft-employees-confront-microsoft-ceo-about-sexism-harassment-at-company-1203181233/
Gross, E. L. (2019). Microsoft employees met with CEO Nadella to protest treatment of women. Forbes. Retrieved April 27, 2019 fro https://www.forbes.com/sites/elanagross/2019/04/05/microsoft-treatment-of-women/#20108971205a
Novet, J. (2019). Microsoft is revamping its HR practices after an email chain complaining about discrimination and harassment spread through the company. CNBC. Retrieved April 27, 2019 from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/15/microsoft-ceo-nadella-announces-new-hr-investigation-policies.html
Wong, J. C. (2019). Microsoft employees confront CEO over company's treatment of women. The Guardian. Retrieved April 27, 2019 from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/apr/04/microsoft-employees-protest-satya-nadella
