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UK impact overview Social, environmental and economic impact of Microsoft in the UK With viable vaccines being rolled out and ever better In doing so, we must also ensure we build a society where we should increase our investments. I’m proud treatment protocols, we are learning to not just live that embraces diversity in all its forms, expands that it also celebrates a small sample of the great with the disease, but to suppress it. A return to a our own pool of talent and welcomes it from work that is already being done such as Get On 2021, more normal life is on the horizon and we will move, around the world. a new campaign which aims to help 1.5 million however haltingly, into the ‘recover’ and ‘reimagine’ people build tech careers in the next 5 years, no phases of the pandemic. As we do, Microsoft is At Microsoft, we often ask ourselves what is our matter what industry. working side by side with its customers and partners broader role, how do we best fulfil our mission to Foreword to reinvigorate the UK economy, rebuild confidence help every person and every organisation on the Whilst it is certain that technology will continue and continue driving the digital transformation that planet to achieve more? Of course, a large part of to define the decade to come, the real question will secure a prosperous future for the UK. delivering on that mission is in creating the products perhaps is how can we make its beneficial impacts and services that allow creators and innovators much more broadly felt? The hard challenges we We should not, however, let ourselves be persuaded here in the UK to build successful businesses, that face demand innovative solutions, but they must be that getting back to ‘business as usual’ post COVID-19 can tackle the hardest challenges. But our role solutions that first and foremost enrich human life cures all of our ills. Climate change, social and must go beyond just creating economic value. We and human experience. economic inequality, the changing world of work must ensure that technology is used responsibly, rom the vantage point of today, a year ago feels and even the future of democracy are all challenges that its enormous potential in the form of artificial Together we have much to do, but as we head into like a very different time. The Conservative party we continue to face. Many of these have been side- intelligence is deployed with the public interest 2021, I again look forward with hope and optimism. Fhad just won a resounding victory on a General lined or even exacerbated by the current crisis. in mind. As a leader at Microsoft, and personally, Election manifesto focused on delivering Brexit, I believe that we can and must do more. reducing regional inequality and supporting a green In 2021, and for the foreseeable future, the nation’s agenda. The UK was preparing to take centre stage collective purpose will be put to the test repeatedly. As we look out to the next 10 years, the question is at the COP26 climate conference and Microsoft how we can we increase access to opportunity from was finalising the launch of our own radical new across diverse communities? How can we build the commitment to becoming carbon negative by 2030. “It’s critical that the UK, with the business skills we need for our future workforce and lead It felt optimistic. It felt as though new opportunities community at its heart, recognises the in the world in the green economy? How can we were possible. opportunity to shift gear, and to consider increase wellbeing, mental and physical health and CLARE BARCLAY, strengthen our democratic institutions? CEO, MICROSOFT UK. a future that is radically different from But by early March, the first wave of the pandemic and a UK in lockdown sent destructive shockwaves that which has gone before. Not just to This report draws on our first materiality audit through our service-led economy. A rapid and compete, but to compete sustainably. designed to better understand what our sustained recovery is still far from certain. Not just to return to the old models, stakeholders want to see from Microsoft in the UK. but to build forward better. To invest in It is a starting point for tracking our contribution innovation, infrastructure and skills.” and impact in the communities we serve and seeing 2 2 £5.9m in Over 100 hours of 183 partners Impact at Azure credits coaching by 60 experts he sine the Microsoft Partner Pledge to te coectie eoin oer ($7.2m U) ien Microsoft Research fore the AI for Good UK Accelerator eoe sortin scores of reserch roects Programme ith this cohort risin oer a glance cross the UK since in fnin 30,000 More than etween the eoin young people 200,000 people 25,000 ene in iit cretion since the 570,000 people nch of Generation Code rechin oer hve een trine in igitl sis t the partners 100 communities across the UK. Microsoft eoees he so rise ore thn Microsoft Experience Centre since it oene in the UK in ne 201 for UK Youth generating n 20 grants to 1.4 million investing over £38bn 18 UK organisations NHS workers in ttrite reene £26bn since the aunch of the AI for Earth rogramme se Microsoft Teams in the sce of ee in orer to conicte n coorte ore effectie rin the neic £ £149.6m in grants 4,000 students £2m raised to 22,718 UK charities and 500 educators and 660 days 100% wind energy U ien throh or Tech for Social reche throh or EduConnect of employee time donated in the last yer no suppies or major UK fciities Impact rore prormme in 202 by Microsoft UK employees to UK chrities 3 Chapter 1 Our approach to creating impact 44 programmes, we asked our partners, employees, Our approach to 2000 consumers, as well as policy makers, NGOs and Environmental impact Social impact other industry experts to tell us which issues relating Figure 1. Materiality grid creating impact to four key dimensions of impact were of greatest Corporate governance Workforce importance to them. These dimensions were Social, Environmental and Workplace impact, as well as higher key aspects of our Corporate Governance. We also importance icrosoft’s mission is to empower every asked them to share their views on the current Pracy person and every organisation on the planet efforts Microsoft is making in these areas and where Mto achieve more. In order to fulfil our corporate they felt we could improve. We mapped these views Ethica us o I purpose today and in the future, we must ensure the against the way in which these various issues impact M prouct or nvironmenta mpact Cliate chage technology that we create benefits everyone on the Microsoft’s own business, to create the Materiality Onlin afety planet, as well as the planet itself. Grid you can see here (Figure 1). M ech or oo Energy fficiecy Ethica an transparent usiness Misuse of ch Adocacy To reimagine a future in which all people have access In addition to this quantitative insight on Fair an upportiv Naural rources environment Supply chain aste Digital kills to the benefits and opportunities of technology and prioritisation of the Material Issues, we also gained odiversity the digital economy, we must ask ourselves not just a raft of qualitative feedback from our various alth Diversity Air uality Accssibility what technology can do, but what it should do. stakeholder groups that has helped us understand an ellbeing where they would most like to see Microsoft And to achieve this, we must pair the adoption of focusing our efforts here in the UK going forward. Loca conomy trusted, best-in-class technology with increased capability of our ecosystem of partners and As the grid clearly shows, issues relating to Trust icrosof o Importanc Internatioal veopent Loca community customers to create tailored solutions – making it and Transparency such as Privacy, Online safety and possible for individuals, organisations, industries, the Ethical use of AI were most highly prioritised by and entire countries to create products, services, and all stakeholder groups. We know that public trust approaches that support rapid recovery, inclusive in technology is falling – in the UK in 2020 trust in growth, and a reimagined future. technology fell by 5 points, to 64%. Across each of Volunteering Furaising these areas, Microsoft’s current commitment goes In order to help us better understand the key impact beyond words to meaningful action, providing tools lower higher areas for our business and issues which matter and frameworks for our customers and partners, importance Iportace o taeholders importance most to our local stakeholders here in the UK, we and working with the government to drive policy conducted our first materiality audit. Through change to support the trusted and responsible use Source or urpo ou ara por a series of targeted stakeholder engagement of technology. 5 Microsoft launches initiative to help 25 million people worldwide acquire the digital skills needed in a COVID-19 economy One of the issues most highly prioritised by our The final lens which has undoubtedly dominated stakeholders was Climate change, and how we the last year for all our stakeholders (although our as a business take action on it. Here in the UK, we audit took place too early to capture responses have already introduced measures to reduce our on this topic) is the COVID-19 global pandemic, operational footprint, focusing in on the purchase of which has created additional stress on systems and renewable energy, waste management and energy communities around the world, leaving many of efficiency, and as a company we have been carbon those who were already struggling that much more neutral since 2012.

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