Big story: Microsoft has just hired a law firm to re-investigate the case of Bill Gates ‘improper’ behavior with female employees since 2019

Bloomberg reported that, responding to urging from shareholders, Microsoft Corporation decided to hire a law firm to review sexual harassment and gender discrimination policies at the company. In addition, the company is tasked with scrutinizing the 2019 board’s investigation into co-founder Bill Gates.

The law firm Arent Fox LLP will have a variety of duties including filing a summary of the board’s previous investigation into the allegations against Gates as well as the results of any harassment investigations since. from 2019 to other board members or members of Microsoft’s senior leadership team.

“The company has experience in these matters and has never previously represented Microsoft in employment matters, nor has done much for the company,” Microsoft said. Arent Fox will report to Microsoft’s board and management, who will prepare a plan to act on the recommendations. The board will then provide a public report, expected to be released in the spring, on the findings and management’s plan to address it.

Earlier, a shareholder resolution called on Microsoft to review the effectiveness of sexual harassment policies within the company. The resolution, led by Arjuna Capital, was passed in November over the company’s objections. It comes after reports that Gates misbehaves with female employees years ago.

The law firm’s work will include examining employee concerns in a lengthy 2019 email series and the actions Microsoft has taken to address those concerns. They will also examine steps taken to hold workers and executives accountable, including data on cases investigated since 2019 and their outcomes. The law firm will also compare the methods Microsoft is taking with other firms.

“It looks like they’re solving all of our problems. And as they say, need to go further to look at what the best practices are and how to improve in the future,” Natasha said. Lamb, manager of Arjuna partner said in an interview.

Microsoft President and CEO Satya Nadella called the review “an opportunity to keep getting better.”

“Culture remains our number one priority, and the entire board appreciates the importance of a safe and inclusive environment for all Microsoft employees,” Nadella said in the statement. “We’re committed to not only reviewing reports, but also learning from them, so we can continue to improve the employee experience.”