Though we often think of it as a linear process, a career journey is just that—a journey. No two paths are the same, and no path is predictable.

I’ve shared my idea that a career involves investing and harvesting —a concept that acknowledges there are times where full (and even extra!) focus can be placed on work. But there are also times when life happens and we need to scale back to accommodate the unexpected. As I’ve settled into my role as Chief People Officer at Microsoft, my perspective on investing and harvesting has sharpened, and I’ve learned firsthand about the differing needs employees face across their career lifecycles.

In my own career, I’ve certainly experienced periods of investing and harvesting. Like many parents, I took time off to care for my newborn son, a harvest that I was able to plan. A few years later, I had to scale back my workload to fight breast cancer, something I clearly hadn’t planned—and thankfully my family (smiling in the photo above) was at my side during that time. As I dealt with chemotherapy and radiation treatment and focused on becoming healthy again, I met many other cancer patients whose situations required family members to dedicate countless hours to support their treatment plans and stand at their sides. Some had to navigate the dilemma of balancing work and caring for their loved one—a choice that is incredibly difficult.

And, as I hear from employees who are in the sandwich generation—those caring for children at home while thinking about aging parents who may one day need support—I am keenly aware that these employees may face the decision of how to prioritize work while caring for a family member. In all these scenarios, the birth of a child, one’s own health needs, or the needs of a close family member, one thing is certain: employees need flexibility and support to make a decision that’s best for them.

As a company, we’re always looking for ways to invest in our people and make Microsoft an exceptional place to work. It’s from this perspective that we’re announcing a new global benefit for our employees—family caregiver leave. Family caregiver leave allows an employee to take up to four weeks of fully paid leave to care for an immediate family member with a serious health condition. To date, we have onboarded 22 countries with this new benefit—and today it is now available to all U.S.-based employees. We will onboard the remaining countries over the coming months, ensuring it’s available to all our employees across the globe.

This important new benefit represents a significant milestone in our effort to build a culture of diversity and inclusion, and it demonstrates our deep commitment to employee wellbeing and care, and respect for the full career journey.

I’ve often said that life happens when you’re working. And it’s true. We will all face difficult times that bleed over into work—no one is immune. As a global employer, we know it’s up to us to continually evaluate the needs of our workforce and provide market-leading benefits and programs to support our employees—at work and at home.