Microsoft introduced a voluntary exit offer Monday for eligible employees in participating teams across the United States, Canada, India and the United Kingdom, giving some workers the option to leave with financial support and career planning resources.
The program is available to eligible employees at the company’s level 70 and below, chief people officer Amy Coleman said in a public version of her message to staff. Not every team is participating.
Microsoft said participation varies according to each business’s priorities, customer commitments and workforce needs. The announcement describes a time-limited, voluntary program, rather than a requirement that all employees in the four countries leave.
Eligible employees were to receive an email with a link to their individual offer details within hours of the announcement. The public message did not specify payment amounts, an application deadline or the number of employees who would be eligible.
That leaves an important distinction between the offer’s reach and its eventual effect on staffing: an employee being eligible does not mean that employee has agreed to depart. Microsoft did not announce how many people it expects to take the offer in the public message.
Coleman said the new program builds on lessons from the company’s earlier Voluntary Retirement Program. She described the exit offer as another way for participating organizations to adjust their workforce to changing needs.
Microsoft said it would also continue helping employees build skills and, where appropriate, find other opportunities within the company. The public announcement did not provide a full list of participating organizations.
JBizNews Desk | Redmond, Washington
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