Microsoft’s headquarters is located in the Seattle area and thus many of its employees will be affected by the move. With children to care for during the day, they may not be able to properly perform their job. On Thursday, Washington State announced school closures in three counties, including Pierce, Snomish, and King. No doubt this will further increase the number of parents that would have been under stress. “We are seeing many school closings in affect regions across the world,” DelBene reportedly said in the email. “We realize this will cause increased stress on the parents of school-aged children who are working from home while taking care of children. In response, we are offering additional support for parents to care for their children.” The pay naturally won’t affect paid leave or vacation time for the two-week period Microsoft is offering. However, the current plans is for schools to be closed for over a month, so they may have to dip into them either way. Employees at the company have already been told to work from home and Microsoft will be paying hourly workers who can’t their normal wage. At least two at the company have tested positive for COVID-19, and it has also canceled its in-person Build 2020 event, which takes place in the region. With all this, it’s unlikely Microsoft will meet its financial expectations, and it has even confirmed as much for its Windows and Surface division.
