Microsoft hits back at claims it ignored sexual harassment

FILE PHOTO: An advertisement is played on a set of large screens at the Microsoft office in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., on January 25, 2017. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo

SAN FRANCISCO: A senior executive said Microsoft Corp thoroughly investigates issues raised by women in the workplace and fired about 20 employees last year over complaints of sexual harassment as the company seeks to counter claims that it treats female workers unfairly.

In an email to employees publicly released late on Thursday, Microsoft chief people officer Kathleen Hogan said Microsoft had 83 harassment complaints in 2017 out of a US-based workforce of over 65,000 employees.