Microsoft has to hit up laid-off workers for money
danger boy
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SEATTLE (AP) - A few weeks after launching the first wide-scale layoffs in its history, Microsoft Corp. admits it screwed up a key part of the plan.
The company is asking some laid-off employees for a portion of their severance back, saying an administrative glitch caused the software maker to pay them too much.
Lou Gellos, a Microsoft spokesman, would not say how many of the 1,400 workers let go in January were overpaid, or by how much. Microsoft has said severance would be calculated by length of service and position in the company.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software maker is asking former employees for reimbursement, by check or money order, within two weeks, according to a redacted letter posted by the technology blog TechCrunch. Gellos confirmed the letter's authenticity.
With the recession biting into sales of Microsoft's core Office and Windows software, Microsoft said in January it would let up to 5,000 of its 94,000 employees go, the only mass layoff in its 34-year history.
Shares of Microsoft sank 54 cents, or 3 percent, to $17.46 in afternoon trading amid a broader sell-off Monday.
The company is asking some laid-off employees for a portion of their severance back, saying an administrative glitch caused the software maker to pay them too much.
Lou Gellos, a Microsoft spokesman, would not say how many of the 1,400 workers let go in January were overpaid, or by how much. Microsoft has said severance would be calculated by length of service and position in the company.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software maker is asking former employees for reimbursement, by check or money order, within two weeks, according to a redacted letter posted by the technology blog TechCrunch. Gellos confirmed the letter's authenticity.
With the recession biting into sales of Microsoft's core Office and Windows software, Microsoft said in January it would let up to 5,000 of its 94,000 employees go, the only mass layoff in its 34-year history.
Shares of Microsoft sank 54 cents, or 3 percent, to $17.46 in afternoon trading amid a broader sell-off Monday.
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Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
Post edited by danger boy on
Comments
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That's not inappropriate if the documentation that each worker was provided as part of their package reflected one amount and they actually got more deposited into their account. If the paperwork matches what they got, and the people left with the agreement of the company based on those numbers, then MS is SOL IMO.......comment comment comment comment. bitchy.
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that is so guy ladousche!!!!!!!! honestly, it would have to be a gross overpayment to make unemployed people paying a multibillion dollar monopoly remotly palatable. maybe i'm just kooky!
did these guys ever hear of bad PR, seriously....LOLLiving Room 2 Channel -
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Bill Gates could have easily just covered this (as well as their salaries) with some of the daily interest from his billions and billions.
Not saying he had to....but it would have been a nice gesture.Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
Must of been a bug in the MS software used to do the calculations :rolleyes:DKG999
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imagine that.. a glitch at MS
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This was just a BETA RIF. They need to apply the patch to get it right after the initial release."Just because youre offended doesnt mean youre right." - Ricky Gervais
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Must of been a bug in the MS software used to do the calculations :rolleyes:
Bet there's a service pack for that now!"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
MS is suck and should be ashamed of themselves if it was as described above.
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I hate to defend MS, but... if you went to the ATM, and suddenly you saw an extra 3 grand in there that you knew was not yours, and you took it out and spent it, you have to know at some point the bank is gonna demand their money back. THe timing is obviously unfortunate here, but it's a mistake. YOu can't expect a company, regardless of how rich they are, to just give away money for no good reason.If you will it, dude, it is no dream.
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I was speaking of Brett's second scenario about the amount given matching the amount on the pink slip.:)
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Ah yes, I agree with that. I certainly hope that's not how it went down.If you will it, dude, it is no dream.
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Some companies dont even offer a severance package.......
PaulyLife without music would♭ -
Sadly that is true.
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My company gave severance pay over time (weekly payments)to guys that got axed in December. In January they filed and stopped all the payments.
Welcome to the new economy. If you get anything other than a boot in your arse, count yourself lucky. It's going to be one ugly ride this year."The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson -
I have heard this happen numerous times with friends and old companies i've worked for, But its Microsoft... Of course its gonna be Headline NewsLife without music would♭
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Well I'm layed off, as of tonite, but not terminated, just no work so....
I'd take a severance pkg. of ANY kind and be grateful.I refuse to argue with idiots, because people can't tell the DIFFERENCE! -
Well I'm layed off, as of tonite, but not terminated, just no work so....
I'd take a severance pkg. of ANY kind and be grateful.
Rough Times man, sorry for the news. Hope the US can shake of some fleas soonLife without music would♭ -
Well I'm layed off, as of tonite, but not terminated, just no work so....
I'd take a severance pkg. of ANY kind and be grateful.
I'm sorry to hear that. Do you any idea of how long you're out? -
If they worked their final day, and the money deposited matches their severance paperwork that they signed, then MS has no recourse. It's already been a contractual agreement and the worker has worked their last day based on everything that's in writing.comment comment comment comment. bitchy.
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If they worked their final day, and the money deposited matches their severance paperwork that they signed, then MS has no recourse. It's already been a contractual agreement and the worker has worked their last day based on everything that's in writing.
Im sure they have backup and documentation at the rate they pay or they would not be asking for it back.Life without music would♭ -
hearingimpared wrote: »I'm sorry to hear that. Do you any idea of how long you're out?
Nope. I just know that I have to go down to the UE office tommorow, and put in a claim. Usually we know by the 20th of each month what's comming down the pike, but as of today, nada, so March might be a little SLIM.
I haven't been terminated, so that's good, but I just don't know what will become of my benefits? If I'm not paying into them, then????
Luckily, my paranoia has caused me to be fiscally responsible, so, I've got a decent amt. of $$$ saved up. It was to go towards a 2 car garage, but NOW I have bigger concerns:rolleyes::p
**** happens :eek:I refuse to argue with idiots, because people can't tell the DIFFERENCE! -
Was watching the Academy Awards last night. While I haven't seen the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" , by all accounts it is a great movie and I plan to see it.
"What's that have to do with Microsoft ?", one might reasonably ask.
Well, while listening to the many acceptance speeches by the cast/crew/stars of Slumdog, I offered the opinion to my fellow co-viewers that, (Pottyword Alert !) :
"Hey, that sounds like the dood I've talked to on the fugging Xbox Live Help Line".
So, if Microsoft has to bite a microhard bullet and take a miniscule loss, so be it.
Read this on Computerworld's site:
"Pugh, who specializes in employment law, was surprised by Microsoft's demand. "In 15 years of doing this, I've never seen this come up," she said. "Occasionally, I've dealt with overpayment [issues] for people while they're still employed, but never on a severance package."
Pugh said she has reviewed three former Microsoft employees' severance agreements in the past month and characterized them as "otherwise pretty reasonable." But this news left her stumped. "If only for the bad PR, this is not a good idea," she said.
It's unclear, Pugh added, if Microsoft can force the laid-off workers to return part of the severance. "The law is not crystal clear," she said. "It may depend on whether or not it was obvious to [the former employees] that there was an error. A lot of the people laid off were salaried employees, who often don't know exactly what they make in a week minus taxes. But severance is usually termed as a number of weeks, such as 12 weeks or eight weeks.
"If they thought they were going to get, say, $5,000 in severance but actually got $20,000, that's obvious," she added.
LATE NOTE: Microsoft has reversed it's stance.
According to Lisa Brummel, the senior vice president of human resources for Microsoft, "Most of the overpayments were in the $4,000 to $5,000 range, Brummel said, though "there were a couple who were over that." By her figures, Microsoft overpaid between $100,000 and $125,000.
Wow !! $125,000 !!!!!Sal Palooza -
BTW: The reason, IMO, why Microsoft reversed its stance wasn't out of any sense of right or wrong.
Nope.
The reason is they realize that it wouldn't be such a hot idea to have 5,000 shafted, laid off workers with spare time on their hands, stewing over MS BS.
...... 5000 workers ..... some of whom are programmers ..... some of whom are friends of programmers .........Sal Palooza -
125 k divided between 5000 workers is hardly enough to make anybody bitter about returning the money....mean value of 25 dollarsModwright SWL 9.0 SE (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC with Oyaide 004 terminations)
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Only 1400 employees, so closer to $89.00 each. I'm just saying.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
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maybe if they return their overpayment they'll get a free XBox 360
PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
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$89 per person? C'mon...
When you look at it from that perspective, it really gives you a "what the f*#k" feeling. A multi-billion dollar company like Microsoft isn't even affected by numbers as slight as 125,000 dollars. That's probably roughly their daily cost to keep all their offices supplied with coffee. C'mon people.
A lot of those people that got their severance pay have probably already spent it, in getting bills paid up and whatnot. A lot of them probably don't even have the money anymore...so now they're supposed to come up with it so that Microsoft doesn't go down the toilet over 90 dollars?:rolleyes:
I would return it for a free Xbox 360 though of course.;) That would be the best deal.The nirvana inducer-
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looks like someone at Microsoft woke up and realized the negative publicity wasn't worth it
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,498666,00.html
of course, these companies wouldnt be in so much trouble if there leadership was smart enough to realize that they should have known this BEFORE THEY SENT THE LETTERS, but hey....whatcha gonna do.Living Room 2 Channel -
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