Microsoft: Marriage equality is good for business

Supporting a diverse workforce helps retain top talent, which drives the bottom line, Microsoft claims

Microsoft has spoken out in support of marriage equality across the world, insisting that fellow businesses can prosper if they support diversity within their companies.

Writing on a Microsoft blog, the firm's general counsel Brad Smith said the issue of equal marriage and equality was a hot topic at last month's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

He said the "business case" for better promoting the rights of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) staff is compelling and helps Microsoft grow.

"Diversity and inclusion help drive our business and our bottom line," he said. "Our customers literally are as diverse as the people of the world. To create technology that empowers the world, we need a workforce that reflects the diversity of the world.

"Put in this context, it's clear to us that strengthening LGBT equality – including marriage equality – plays a critical role in promoting diversity and inclusion."

In January 2012, Microsoft joined a lobby group supporting equal-marriage legislation in its home state of Washington, Smith said, adding that it also campaigns for similar laws to be passed across the US and the world, in light of the increasingly global economy.

"In short, the diversity of our workforce is an important bridge to the global marketplace," he said. "We operate in fast-moving and very competitive markets, and having access to the best talent is critical. To recruit the best talent, we need to create an environment in which everyone is welcome and valued.

"We ask employees to move to other states or take on international assignments based on our business needs or to accelerate their experience and development. For our LGBT employees and their families, there can be significant challenges in states or countries that don't provide equal recognition for their marriage or committed relationships.

"Our commitment to treating all our employees equally has helped our business grow as well as being the right thing to do."

At an annual shareholders meeting last year, Microsoft came under fire for its diversity record from civil-rights campaigner Jesse Jackson, who blasted the vendor – and the wider tech industry – for creating a workforce which "does not look like America" nor "reflect the population that it relied upon for success".