Microsoft under fire over revelation its white employees earn less than their black, Asian, and Hispanic counterparts

Critics of DEI have highlighted an apparent celebration of race- and sex-based discrimination in Microsoft's annual "Diversity and Inclusion Report."

Microsoft proudly noted in the document that its black, Asian, and Hispanic employees earn more than their white counterparts. Additionally, it revealed that female employees earn more than male coworkers operating at the same level and in the same roles.

The possibility that the tech giant is openly engaging in pay discrimination against employees on the basis of their immutable characteristics has prompted condemnation along with calls for legal action.

Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, Microsoft's chief diversity officer, released the company's DEI report on Nov. 1, 2023, stating, "This year's report shows that we continue to be a more diverse Microsoft today than we have ever been. Looking at this year's data as well as our cumulative efforts, it's clear that we are driving positive change."

In the "pay equity" section of the DEI document, Microsoft noted it is "committed to the principle of pay equity. Pay equity accounts for factors that legitimately influence total pay, including things like job title, level, and tenure. Our pay equity analysis adjusts for these factors in support of our commitment to pay employees equitably for substantially similar work."

According to the document, as of September 2023, all American "racial and ethnic minority groups who are rewards eligible combined earned $1.007 total pay for every $1.000 earned by US rewards-eligible white employees with the same job title and level and considering tenure."

Employees are "rewards-eligible" if they have worked for more than 90 days in the fiscal year. Such employees account for roughly 94% of Microsoft's workforce.

The document specifically states that black, Hispanic, and so-called "Latinx" employees working in the U.S. earn $1.004 for every dollar alternatively earned by a "rewards-eligible" white employee.

Asian employees, meanwhile, "earn $1.012 for every $1.000 earned by US rewards-eligible white employees with the same job title and level and considering tenure."

This apparent trend of systemic discrimination is not limited to race.

The document indicates that "as of September 2023, inside the US, women who are rewards eligible earn $1.007 total pay for every $1.000 earned by rewards-eligible employees who are men" operating at the same level with the same job title.

Microsoft appears to have been championing these pay deltas for several years. In its 2019 DEI report, the company noted, "As of September 2019, all racial and ethnic minority employees in the US combined earn $1.006 for every $1.000 earned by their white counterparts."

Blaze News reached out to Microsoft for comment but did not receive a response by deadline.

Libs of TikTok, who drew massive attention to the DEI document Thursday, wrote in response to the report, "HOLY SHLIT. In Microsoft's official 2023 Diversity & Inclusion report, they openly admit that they are paying white people LESS than other ethnic groups in the name of 'pay equity.'"

South African billionaire Elon Musk posed the question of whether the practice was legal, to which Libs of TikTok definitively responded: "No."

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission makes expressly clear on its website that "race discrimination involves treating someone (an applicant or employee) unfavorably because he/she is of a certain race or because of personal characteristics associated with race (such as hair texture, skin color, or certain facial features).

The EEOC notes that federal law prohibits discrimination "when it comes to any aspect of employment, including hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoff, training, fringe benefits, and any other term or condition of employment."

America First Legal, former Trump adviser Stephen Miller's nonprofit, said, "This is evidence of blatantly illegal discrimination, if true. If you are a Microsoft employee who is getting paid less because you are white or male, please contact us today."

Michael Seifert, the founder and CEO of the unwoke Amazon alternative Public Square, wrote, "The only 'systemic racism' happening today is against white people."

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