Microsoft MBA - Benefits and Perks

Benefits and Perks

Your Career. Your Health. Your Money. And Then Some.

To support your professional growth and personal well being, we provide one of the most compelling, comprehensive benefit packages in our industry. From must-haves such as full healthcare coverage to nice-to-haves such as employee discounts, you’ll be well taken care of as a Microsoft employee. Read more in this section about what Microsoft offers for:

Career Development
Compensation
Healthcare
Investment Programs
Additional Perks

"Microsoft offers the benefits and career variety typical of a large corporation while minimizing the dull drudge so common in large organizations. I think it’s a very subtle art to give folks the freedom to leverage their skills while running a very large operation."

- Nick, Industry Technology Strategist

Career Development

You’ve already invested heavily in your own professional development. Completing your MBA may have challenged you in ways you could never have imagined. At Microsoft, you can continue to grow just as fast.

We believe in the power of collective accomplishment—that your success contributes to the company’s success and the other way round. To help you continue to achieve, we offer a highly disciplined process for setting, evaluating, and recalibrating goals. This process serves both as a foundation for your advancement with the company and a basis for determining your financial rewards. Here are some of its components:

• Individual goal-setting. At the beginning of your Microsoft career, you and your manager discuss your role and responsibilities within both your team and the company. Together, you identify clear, measurable goals that will leverage your talents and stimulate your growth. After this, you meet periodically with your manager to evaluate your progress against those goals and recalibrate them if necessary. This regular structured goal-setting enables you to continually assess and develop your knowledge and skills throughout your time at Microsoft.
• Performance review. Once a year, you and your manager will meet to review your past year’s work and to plan the next phase of your career at Microsoft. This review enables you and your manager to evaluate your progress against your mutually-agreed-upon goals. The performance review is the basis for determining merit bonuses and salary increases.

In addition, halfway through the year, you and your manager will sit down and discuss your career objectives. This is an opportunity for you to review your professional goals, envision your long-term career path, and identify your educational needs and ways to meet them.
• Training & development. Microsoft supports your ongoing education in a variety of ways, ranging from in-house management and professional development workshops to tuition reimbursement for courses taken elsewhere.

Compensation

We will reward you well for what you contribute. In addition to competitive salaries, we offer the following:

• Bonus awards. Based on specific individual performance goals set and reviewed by you and your manager.
• Merit increases. Based on your skill, experience, contribution, and performance against your individual performance goals.
• Stock awards. Shares of Microsoft stock may be awarded upon hiring and/or annually. Stock awards vest over a period of five years and provide more predictable, long-term value than stock options.

You’ll get all the details when we discuss your offer.

Healthcare

As a Microsoft employee, you’ll receive medical, dental, and vision benefits. (So can your spouse or domestic partner, along with your children.)

• Medical & hospitalization. Choose from plans ranging from minimal catastrophic coverage to full comprehensive benefits.
• Vision care. One annual eye exam and reimbursement for one pair of glasses or contacts per person per calendar year.
• Dental care. Choose between a basic plan or a plan that covers more—including orthodontic services.
• Additional benefits. Enhance your benefit package with life insurance, disability insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, group legal coverage, and dependent and healthcare flexible spending accounts.

Investment Programs

Do you dream of someday sailing around the world? Starting a venture of your own? Spending a year in a far-off place? Smart investment decisions now should enable you to do what you want in the future. To help you set and meet financial goals, we offer:

• Savings Plus 401(k) plan. Defer pre-tax income up to 50 percent of your eligible compensation (within the IRS maximum). Microsoft matches 50 cents on every dollar you defer pre-tax (up to a pre-tax contribution rate of 6 percent), excluding catch-up contributions, for a maximum matching contribution of 3 percent of your eligible compensation. You can also contribute up to 7 percent of your eligible compensation on an after-tax basis.
• Employee Stock Purchase plan. Each quarter, purchase Microsoft stock at a 10 percent discount off the market price during a defined purchase period.
• Goal Planner investment program. Save money from your after-tax (net) pay for anticipated future expenses such as buying a (second) house or paying for your children’s college. Benefit from your own personal discount brokerage account, direct investment deposits through payroll deduction, and financial planning tools.

Additional Perks

You’ll find much, much more than unlimited free soda at Microsoft. Our employees enjoy everything from relocation assistance to health club membership to reimbursement for adoption expenses. Perks include:

• Time off. Starting your first year, you’ll have 15 paid vacation days, 10 paid sick-leave days, eight paid U.S. holidays, and two paid discretionary personal holidays.
• Relocation. If you have to move to begin your Microsoft career, we can help you get settled in a variety of ways, which may include:

• Packing, moving, and storing your household goods and your car
• Temporary housing and rental car
• Assistance locating permanent housing (whether rental or purchase)
• Housing lease-termination coverage
• Discounted financial services. Take advantage of banking, brokerage, and financial planning and education services at discounted rates.
• Credit union. Open a checking account, get a bank card, and enjoy competitive interest rates at the First Technology Credit Union.
• On-site Services. Skip the daily errands and make life a little easier with these on-campus services including, grocery deliveries, dry-cleaning/laundry service, convenience item shopping and take-home dinner services.
• Stay Fit program. Sign up for a paid health club membership (where available) or receive taxable income you can apply toward your own health-and-fitness program. Even interns are allowed to join for the summer. (Seattleites favor the Pro Sports Club.)
• Office ergonomics consultation. Get help with furniture and equipment configurations to keep you healthy while you work.
• 24-hour health line. Receive useful, easy-to-understand information 24x7 to help you make sound healthcare decisions.
• Counseling. If you ever need guidance from a skilled counselor, Microsoft will provide confidential counseling services for you and/or eligible family members.
• Adoption assistance. If you decide to adopt a child, Microsoft will reimburse up to $5,000 of associated costs per child.
• P.R.I.M.E. discounts. Get discounts on brand-name products and local services, from ballet tickets to motorcycle repair.
• Discounts on software and hardware. Enjoy substantial discounts on Microsoft products at the company store.
• Resource and referral service. Free referral services can help you locate high-quality child care, adult care, home improvement, and academic services.
• Microsoft art collection. Enjoy a contemporary art collection comprising approximately 4,000 works displayed throughout the company's facilities.
• Free beverages. Yes, it's true—all the free soda, coffee, juice, and milk you can drink.
• And more. You’ll also enjoy flexible work hours, freedom to dress as you choose (within reason, of course), a team “morale budget” (a longstanding Microsoft tradition), product launch parties, and the annual Microsoft company meeting and picnic.