Leaked memo: Microsoft is offering 12 weeks of paid leave for parents as schools remain closed for the academic year

Microsoft is offering 12 weeks of paid leave to parents as schools remain closed during the coronavirus crisis.

On Monday, the governor of Washington, where Microsoft is headquartered, expanded school closures through the end of the academic year.

An internal email from a Microsoft exec viewed by Business Insider told employees that "the HR leadership team heard your feedback and requests for greater flexibility and time off to help accommodate WFH schedules as you face extended school closures."

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Microsoft is offering 12 weeks of paid leave to employees who are parents as schools remain closed during the coronavirus crisis, according an internal memo reviewed by Business Insider.

Microsoft Executive Vice President Kurt DelBene notified employees about the benefit in an April 6 email.

"The HR leadership team heard your feedback and requests for greater flexibility and time off to help accommodate WFH schedules as you face extended school closures," DelBene wrote in the email. "To help alleviate some of this pressure, we are extending your leave options."

The memo is sparse on details about who is eligible but says parents can use the benefit on a "continuous, reduced or intermittent basis," meaning they could take off one or two days a week and work remotely for the rest, among other options.

In early March, Microsoft offered two weeks of paid leave to parents who couldn't work remotely while their children were home, either because of childcare needs or job requirements. In the month since, school closures around the US have continued or extended as the coronavirus crisis persists.

For example, on Monday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee expanded school closures in the state through the end of the academic year. Microsoft has nearly 54,000 in Washington state and more than 150,000 employees in total.

Microsoft has handled the coronavirus crisis internally in a number of other ways. It is mandating that most of its US employees work from home "until further notice," streaming companywide town halls from executives' homes, expanding benefits like paid leave for parents, and even delivering food and medications to employee's homes. It also previously confirmed that it was freezing hiring for some roles, citing uncertainty related to the coronavirus crisis.

"We continue to seek industry-leading talent in a range of disciplines as we continue to invest in certain strategic areas," a Microsoft spokesperson told Business Insider. "However, in light of the uncertainties presented by COVID-19, we are temporarily pausing recruitment for other roles."

The company declined to provide more information about which positions it's still hiring for and which roles are seeing a hiring pause. Employees who spoke with Business Insider said Microsoft was still hiring for roles within its massive cloud-computing business, as well as holding virtual hiring events for software engineers as recently as last week. Some groups, one employee said, are "prioritizing consumer-facing and critical roles."

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