Microsoft Shareholders Support Proposal Seeking Report on Harassment

Microsoft said on Tuesday its shareholders had approved a proposal by Arjuna Capital, which sought a report from the software firm on the effectiveness of its policies to battle sexual harassment in the workplace. About 80 percent of the votes that were cast at the company’s annual meeting were in favor of producing such a report, Microsoft said in a filing. Arjuna Capital is a Boston-based investment adviser and frequent filer of shareholder resolutions pressing companies for changes like disclosing more data on pay equity.

Microsoft already internally shares annual data on the volume of sexual harassment concerns raised and the results of the investigations into them. It has now adopted plans to make that data public. The vote comes as big mutual fund firms increasingly support investor challenges to companies on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues and as employees of big tech firms stage walk outs protesting their tackling of sexual harassment claims.