Leaked Salary Spreadsheet Reveals Microsoft Employee Earnings for a Second Year

Sharing compensation data has become an annual tradition at Microsoft during this time of year

Photo illustration, image source: Blake Callahan/Getty Images

Over the course of August 2020, more than 300 Microsoft employees shared their salaries, bonuses, and stock awards in a Google spreadsheet to continue their push for fairer compensation.

“You are legally protected to share this info, and you should share it so your coworkers can determine if they’re being underpaid; however, you should still exercise caution,” the Google Form to submit information reads.

Sharing compensation data has become an annual tradition at Microsoft during this time of year, when full-time employees are notified of any raises or bonuses. Last year, more than 400 employees similarly shared their salaries, OneZero reported. The employees who respond to each year’s survey are mainly based in Redmond, Microsoft’s Washington headquarters. By the last day of August 2020, 310 employees had added their data to the spreadsheet. Microsoft employs more than 150,000 employees around the world.

Employees shared their previous base salary, any cash bonuses, other bonuses paid out in stock, and merit-based increases in salary. This year’s spreadsheet also included two new questions: one asking whether the employee was a person of color, and another asking whether the employee felt marginalized or at risk of being marginalized due to their gender or gender identity. Microsoft’s latest diversity report showed the company was mainly white and male, especially at the highest levels.

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