TECH: Microsoft requires contractors to provide paid leave

Microsoft says it’s requiring its contractors to offer their U.S. employees at least 12 weeks paid leave to care for a new child. It’s common for tech firms to offer generous family leave benefits for their own engineers, but experts say it’s rare to require similar benefits for janitors, landscapers and other contract workers. The new policy affects businesses with at least 50 U.S.-based employees that supply Microsoft with various services. It expands on Microsoft’s 2015 policy requiring contractors to offer paid sick days and vacation.