Microsoft not to cut salaries during coronavirus outbreak days

New Delhi : Microsoft on Thursday announced that they will continue to pay the salaries to their service workers who are paid hourly in the Seattle area and northern California during the coronavirus outbreak, regardless the fact if they are coming to the office or are working from home.

"We recognize the hardship that lost work can mean for hourly employees," said Microsoft President Brad Smith. As a result, the company has decided to pay them during this period of reduced service needs.

Generally speaking, hourly service workers might include custodial staff, kitchen staff, or shuttle drivers, all of whom Microsoft relies upon to keep its headquarters and offices running. Generally speaking, Microsoft contracts these services out to local providers in each area, rather than employ them directly. 

This is independent of whether their full services are needed. This will ensure that, in Puget Sound for example, the 4,500 hourly employees who work in our facilities will continue to receive their regular wages even if their work hours are reduced, Smith wrote. 

King County, home to Microsoft's headquarters, has been called the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. The county has 51 diagnosed cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by coronavirus, and 10 related deaths.

Earlier, Microsoft asked its employees to work from home remotely till March 25.