Ballmer's e-mail to employees regarding layoffs

[Kharn]

I heared that most of the lay off's will be form outsourced companies mostly based in the middle east, hopefully that is true and they will not have to lay off people who atchualy do something other than make you feel frustrated over the phone..

 

[hikaricloud]

I heared that most of the lay off's will be form outsourced companies mostly based in the middle east, hopefully that is true and they will not have to lay off people who atchualy do something other than make you feel frustrated over the phone..

That would be awesome, but somehow I doubt it.

 

[Trotter]

Outsourced ≠ employees.

 

[hikaricloud]

Outsourced ≠ employees.

Thank you.

EDIT: And thanks for editing out my post about your double post fail. Lol.

 

[CntdwnToExtn]

It doesn't matter what MS paid, they will only get to draw up to the max for their state... which will be a lot less than what they made.

Jobs? What jobs? If there are no jobs, it doesn't matter how great your resume is or who is on it.

It would be great if MS used attrition, but "1400 today" is not attrition. The gaming division took big hits and I seriously doubt those people are Boomers.

Seven figures if it is a penny, plus he will have a really nice package for when he leaves.

Ballmer is slashing the throats of his people to try to widen his margins, pure and simple. Microsoft is still making money, not losing it. So why sacrifice the very people who are generating that positive cash flow, other than to coast and come out even farther in the black. It is nothing more than the Microsoft way... rob, pillage, and steal as long as you come out on top. Reminds me a lot of the mafia in the '60s.

And how much % of your wages do you get to collect?
I guarantee it's a darn more of a lot more than the povertly line.
A darn more than the Restaurant industry
A darn more than pumping gas
A darn more than giving tokens at the subway
A darn more than driving a taxi

Well, your resume does show something.
Microsoft reference vs anything else...sorry, but Microsoft wins. Plain and simple.
And yes, there ARE companies with job applications. Workopolis, Job Bank, Monster are some nice little sites that have jobs posted.


As well,
1400 is low on the Totum pole for mass layoffs right now. Man, I've seen 2000 on a shift being let go.
The industrial plaza I work in right now has 8000 jobs temporarly halted until Chrysler and GM pick up again in Feb or March.
I've seen 10's of Thousands of jobs disappear from this area in the last year.
I"m living in Canada's most unemployed area where a house that was valued at $300K last year is now worth $150K.

1400 jobs for a Global company means nothing to me cause I've seen worse.

 

[hikaricloud]

"up to 5000 positions, 1400 of which are today."

Don't forget, that memo is straight from microsoft, and they loooove looking better than they actually are. Reuters is saying it's going to be more like 6000 to 8000, which is as much as 9% of the total work force. Doesn't sound like a lot, but it kinda is, especially seeing as more than likely, most of those will be in the US, and 95k employees is INTERNATIONAL. So % will be even worse in the states.

Just because you've seen worse, doesn't make it right.

 

[Trotter]

I will draw less than half of what I made, and that doesn't count my taxes or how I will have any kind of insurance coverage (it ain't free here). My unemployment insurance would equal $14300 if I drew it for a year, and that is the gross. It averages out to $6.875 an hour... which is something I haven't made for over twenty years.

How much will MS now former employees draw? depends on Washington's limits. Less than what they made, probably a lot less than half. More than your examples? Probably. Enough to pay the bills they had as full time employees? Not even close.

Yep. Those sites have jobs posted. They even contact a few people. but most don't get diddly from them. No one is going to create jobs to hire these people. Most resent them because they have been working for Microsoft and have had it made. I pity them.

1400 may not be a massive number, but it was one too many to each one for those who received a visit from their boss that included a separation notice. I have been one of those people, and am one now. Drawing will not cover my bills, so I know it won't cover theirs.

It may mean nothing to you yet, but it might should you join their ranks. It's easy to sit back and pass judgment, but it is totally different when you are in their shoes. I've been on both sides of that fence, and it sucks to be on the outside.

Besides, this is people we are talking about, not abstract numbers. That is almost one and a half thousand individuals who had to pack up their things and go home, people who do not have an office or a job to return to Monday morning. People with families, plans, dreams. People who are sitting home right now, dazed and shell-shocked, wondering what they could have done to have avoided the axe, how they will make the house payment, worrying about their kids' education.

And then there are the additional numbers to come. There's no way that many people are going to retire in 18 months. Everyone else is now living under the dread of being in the next round of cuts. My round of layoffs was announced early in the morning, but I didn't get the call for a couple of hours. All that time I was there with my co-workers, each of us trying to do our job, not knowing if the person coming through the door was coming to tell one of us, all of us, that our services were no longer required. I can't imagine living under that for a year and a half...

 

[CntdwnToExtn]

I will draw less than half of what I made, and that doesn't count my taxes or how I will have any kind of insurance coverage (it ain't free here). My unemployment insurance would equal $14300 if I drew it for a year, and that is the gross. It averages out to $6.875 an hour... which is something I haven't made for over twenty years.

you havn't made that for over 20 years...but you know what...people have MADE that for 20 years.

How much will MS now former employees draw? depends on Washington's limits. Less than what they made, probably a lot less than half. More than your examples? Probably. Enough to pay the bills they had as full time employees? Not even close.

Ya, and how much does a MS employee make? It's not like they are living in group homes because the wages are so bad.
Maybe a single person living alone might have somem problems, but a couple can Refinance, Morgage, whatever the banks can do.
Why do you think the Banks havn't passed on the same % cuts as the Gov't? It's because they are taking a hit helping everyone out with thier bills!

Yep. Those sites have jobs posted. They even contact a few people. but most don't get diddly from them. No one is going to create jobs to hire these people. Most resent them because they have been working for Microsoft and have had it made. I pity them.

Ya...they resent someone that can help them. Hightly doubt that, but hey...

1400 may not be a massive number, but it was one too many to each one for those who received a visit from their boss that included a separation notice. I have been one of those people, and am one now. Drawing will not cover my bills, so I know it won't cover theirs.

Look, not once did I say to "to heck with the employee's".
I darn well know they are talented and insanly crazy (in a good way) with computers.
I envy someone who works at Microsoft or any huge computer company.

It may mean nothing to you yet, but it might should you join their ranks. It's easy to sit back and pass judgment, but it is totally different when you are in their shoes. I've been on both sides of that fence, and it sucks to be on the outside.

Come on, did you not see what I posed about job loss in my area. I'm bloody paranoid!
I'm on 24. I'm suppose to be starting my life but I can't becuase I'm not even sure how long my job is going to last.
I thought I was done today! My Boss called me in after his Boss just left the office and said my overtime to update the machines was cancelled and he didn't even look at me.

Besides, this is people we are talking about, not abstract numbers. That is almost one and a half thousand individuals who had to pack up their things and go home, people who do not have an office or a job to return to Monday morning. People with families, plans, dreams. People who are sitting home right now, dazed and shell-shocked, wondering what they could have done to have avoided the axe, how they will make the house payment, worrying about their kids' education.

I know it's people! Why do you think i'm the devil?
I've not once said "Yay! Jobs are gone!"
Ya, I've said 1400 isn't much, but there ARE jobs out there...if you want to believe it or not.

And then there are the additional numbers to come. There's no way that many people are going to retire in 18 months. Everyone else is now living under the dread of being in the next round of cuts. My round of layoffs was announced early in the morning, but I didn't get the call for a couple of hours. All that time I was there with my co-workers, each of us trying to do our job, not knowing if the person coming through the door was coming to tell one of us, all of us, that our services were no longer required. I can't imagine living under that for a year and a half...

[/quote]

No, not that many people will retire. But there will be Boomers in there that will.

Yes, I know it's a hard feeling. I'm going through that right now. But what I'm doing is trying to make myself valuable. Learning something new that no one else knows so i'm potentially beneficial to the company.
It's all I can do. If it doesn't work out, I've gained something new that I can hopefully "sell" to someone else.


Seriously,
I just agree with Ballmer about cutting some jobs.
If it keeps the company alive to hire once again...then so be it.
I'll read your next post, but not respond.

 

[hikaricloud]

Sacking the employees close to retirement as you mentioned earlier is a really **** move too. I mean, think about it. Some guy that has like, 5 years to retire with a company he's been with for years. No matter which way you look at it, that's just plain ********.

People who have been making under 7 bucks a year for 20 years need to get out there and find a different line of work, or never made anything of themselves in the first place. The job market was a lot better at some point in the last 20 years, so...yeah. Don't say it's the educated guy's fault for not making minimum wage while people who don't give two ***** about themselves or their futures are working for pennies. Sure, it's not like that with everyone, but it is with most people.

Again, it's not just 1400 jobs. It's a lot more than that. And like Trotter said, each of these jobs aren't just numbers, they're people. With families, and loads more to pay for than your average single guy working at McDonald's.

 

[Trotter]

Seriously,
I just agree with Ballmer about cutting some jobs.
If it keeps the company alive to hire once again...then so be it.

Then we disagree. Cutting jobs to hedge your bets is dirty, pure and simple. But it also falls right in line with a lot of Microsoft's old school way of handling things.