Microsoft offers voluntary exits to about 60,000 employees across four countries
publishers 23articles 29first reported 26 Oct, 16:23 UTCdeveloping since 26 Oct · 7 editions
Microsoft has opened a voluntary exit program to about 60,000 employees in participating teams in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and India, expanding its use of buyouts after layoffs and an earlier retirement offer this year.
The program covers roughly a quarter of Microsoft’s workforce and is available to eligible employees through level 70, which includes general managers and some vice presidents but excludes corporate vice presidents. Unlike the company’s earlier voluntary retirement program, the new offer has no age or tenure requirement, and job performance is not a factor.
Microsoft told GeekWire that the package is equivalent to its standard severance, including base pay determined by tenure and level, continued stock vesting, healthcare coverage for a fixed period and career-transition services. Employees have until the first week of December to decide; The Indian Express reported a December 1 deadline in India.
In a staff memo, Chief People Officer Amy Coleman said the offer gives employees considering a future outside Microsoft a supported way to leave while helping participating organizations adapt to changing workforce needs. Microsoft said it expects a substantially smaller share of eligible workers to accept than the roughly 30% who took its earlier retirement offer.
The company reported 223,000 full-time employees as of June 30, down from 228,000 a year earlier and before additional layoffs in July. Microsoft said the offer does not indicate that it needs fewer employees, describing it as one of several ways to adjust to changing business needs.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 5 articles, 2 with the publisher's own text; 5 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 42 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
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- Source articles
- 29
- Given to the writer
- 5, 2 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 5
- This version written
- 42 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
The second model checked the writer's draft against the same sources and published it as written.
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