Microsoft provides unlimited leave aliases without limits for its employees. But this policy only applies to Microsoft employees in the United States.
This new policy was announced by Microsoft's Chief People Officer Kathleen Hogan in an internal memo. Microsoft calls this unlimited time off with the term 'Discretionary Time Off'.
"How, when, and where we do our jobs has changed dramatically," Hogan said in the memo, as quoted by The Verge, Thursday (12/1/2023).
"And while we are transforming, modernizing our holiday policy to a more flexible model is a natural next step."
The changes will take effect January 16, 2023 and mean new Microsoft employees won't have to wait long to collect their leave allowance. The company made by Bill Gates will still offer 10 days of company holidays, time off, sick and mental health leave, and time off for jury duty or bereavement.
This new policy does not apply to hourly Microsoft employees. Microsoft says pay and hour rules set by state and federal governments make it difficult for it to offer unlimited time off to hourly employees.
In addition, Microsoft employees who work outside the United States also cannot get this benefit. Microsoft says employees outside the US will get the existing vacation and leave benefits due to different laws and regulations in other countries.
Microsoft isn't the only company offering unlimited time off. This policy is quite popular among technology companies including Salesforce, LinkedIn, Oracle, and Netflix.
This new policy follows Microsoft's decision to allow more employees to work from home (WFH) on a permanent basis. They also distributed a bonus of USD 1,500 to employees during the pandemic.