- Manager confidence remains high, but coaching and feedback need improvement.
Microsoft employees say they feel increasingly energised and empowered at work, but many are also looking for more opportunities to grow in their roles and want better resources to stay productive, according to the results of recent internal employee surveys.
Microsoft Employee Survey Highlights Rising Thriving Score
The findings were shared in a memo by Microsoft Chief People Officer Amy Coleman, who outlined the company’s “top strengths” and “top opportunities” based on feedback collected through its Employee Signals survey.
According to the memo, seen by Business Insider, Microsoft’s “Thriving” score, which measures whether employees feel energised, empowered, and engaged in meaningful work, rose three points to 79. The company identified its strongest areas as addressing security challenges, fostering inclusion within teams, and ensuring that teams work in ways that reflect Microsoft’s culture.
Employee comments highlighted empowerment, teamwork, communication, culture, and customer focus as factors that help them perform at their best.
Employees Seek Career Growth and Better Resources
At the same time, workers pointed to several areas where improvements are needed. Employees said they want more opportunities to gain new experiences in their roles, clearer links between their work and broader organisational goals, and better tools and resources to remain productive. Feedback also cited concerns around strategy, communication, processes, customer focus, and speed of execution.
The survey comes as Microsoft has increased performance expectations for employees in recent quarters. The company has also restructured parts of its human resources organisation that oversee compensation and promotion policies, and has offered buyouts to some employees nearing retirement.
As a result, many workers reported feeling uncertainty and pressure amid ongoing changes across the company.
“While much of this feedback is encouraging, I also know we are in a time of intense and exciting change. Many of you shared feelings of uncertainty and pressure as the work evolves,” Coleman wrote in the memo, which was viewed by Business Insider.
“The leadership team and I hear that, and we’re committed to being more transparent, communicating more frequently, and giving context wherever we can,” she added.
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Microsoft Managers Receive Strong Employee Confidence Ratings
In a separate annual Manager and Leader Signals survey, employee confidence in managers remained high. 85 per cent of employees responded favourably when asked whether they were confident in their manager’s overall effectiveness, unchanged from the previous survey.
Employees rated managers most positively for embracing new challenges to drive innovative solutions, creating inclusive work environments, and encouraging diverse perspectives within teams.
Coaching And Employee Development Remain Key Concerns
However, the survey also identified coaching and employee development as key areas for improvement. The lowest-rated responses were linked to managers coaching employees through day-to-day challenges, providing clear feedback to support improvement, and motivating employees to do their best work.
Microsoft received nearly 265,000 comments through its Employee Signals survey and around 368,000 comments through its Manager and Leader Signals survey. According to the memo, 71 per cent of employees participated in the feedback exercise.
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