X

Microsoft plans to give $1,500 pandemic bonus to employees worldwide

The bonuses will reportedly cost Microsoft $200 million.

Sareena Dayaram Senior Editor
Sareena is a senior editor for CNET covering the mobile beat including device reviews. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with more than a decade's worth of experience producing stories for television and digital publications across Asia's financial capitals including Singapore, Hong Kong, and Mumbai. Prior to CNET, Sareena worked at CNN as a news writer and Reuters as a producer.
Expertise Huawei, Oppo, smartphones, smartwatches Credentials
  • More than a decade of journalism experience
See full bio
Sareena Dayaram
microsoft-logo-laptop-3802
Angela Lang/CNET

Microsoft is giving employees a $1,500 pandemic bonus this year for the "unique and challenging fiscal year that Microsoft just completed," according to a report published Friday by the Verge.

The report, which cites an internal memo, says the bonuses will be disbursed to all employees below corporate vice president level that started on or before March 31, 2021, including part-time workers and those on hourly rates. Employees based in the US, as well as internationally who meet that criteria, will be eligible for the bonus. 

"As a symbol of our appreciation for coming together as One Microsoft during a uniquely challenging year, we are proud to recognize our employees with a one-time monetary gift," a spokesperson for Microsoft confirmed to CNET in an email after the Verge first reported the news.  

Microsoft has 175,508 employees worldwide, and the move underscores what tech companies are doing to help soften the blow of the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, Facebook gave employees a $1,000 bonus to help with working remotely, and Twitter said it'll reimburse employees for home office setup expenses and fees that parents are paying for extra day care.