Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to up to 60,000 employees in four countries, a sign that even the strongest tech firms are reshaping their workforces.
Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to as many as 60,000 employees in the US, UK, Canada and India. Workers who take the deal leave the company with financial support and career planning help. The company has about 223,000 employees. Microsoft says the offer is a way to trim staff without another round of layoffs.
In a message to staff, chief people officer Amy Coleman described it as "the opportunity to leave Microsoft with financial support and career planning resources." She also said the program is new for the company and that Microsoft will learn from it. Microsoft says it is not based on age, length of service or performance.
Sources told The Verge that eligibility depends on the team. Some groups are fully included, some partly, and some not at all.
The offer arrives just months after Microsoft laid off 4,800 people, mostly in Xbox and commercial sales. Fortune also reports that Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is planning new rounds of layoffs. The new offer does not target commercial sales teams.
It also differs from a voluntary retirement program earlier this year. That one reached only about 9,000 US employees whose age plus years of service added up to 70 or more. This new offer is much broader.
The material does not say how much money the buyouts include, how long employees have to decide, or how many people will accept. Microsoft says it may consider another voluntary exit offer "where there is a business and workforce need."
For workers everywhere, the lesson is practical. Job security can shift quickly, even at a company this large, and a voluntary offer can be a sign that more changes are coming.
Even at giant tech companies, staffing can change fast, so keep your skills current and your finances flexible.
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