Uncertainty at Microsoft sparks concern about retaining current employees

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
With Chief Executive Steve Ballmer set to retire and Microsoft undergoing major structural changes, employees at the software giant are said to be spooked, sparking concern that retaining current workers could be a challenge.

Ballmer


Microsoft is looking to reassure workers who may be concerned over a number of major changes recently instituted at the company, according to Bloomberg. Most significantly among those is the forthcoming departure of Ballmer, who unexpectedly announced last week that he intends to retire within the next year.

Ballmer's announcement arrived just weeks after the CEO revealed a major corporate realignment at Microsoft aimed at making the company more adaptable to a rapidly changing tech market led by companies like Apple and Google. And now with a new CEO set to take over Microsoft in the next 12 months, it's unclear whether the sweeping changes instituted by Ballmer will remain in place, or if a new leader could change course yet again.

Tuesday's report revealed that some executives at Microsoft unhappy with the recent changes could leave the company once their stock grants and bonuses are awarded at the end of August. Sensing unease among Microsoft workers, rival tech companies are also reportedly stepping up their efforts to recruit personnel who may be looking to exit the Windows maker.

In an effort to calm those concerns, members of the Microsoft senior leadership team reportedly e-mailed staff last Friday, the same day of Ballmer's announcement, to affirm their commitment to the corporate restructuring plan currently in place. The new "One Microsoft" will focus on devices and services, and aims to encourage greater collaboration between departments.

Publicly, Microsoft's board of directors have also stated they are committed to Ballmer's restructuring plan, even after the current CEO retires. But Microsoft has seen a number of high-profile personnel depart the company in recent months, including Xbox chief Don Mattrick and Windows head Steven Sinofsky.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 41
    andysolandysol Posts: 2,506member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Uncertainty at Microsoft



     


    For 8 years now and counting...

  • Reply 2 of 41
    dreyfus2dreyfus2 Posts: 1,072member


    Wait a minute... Why would somebody voluntarily stay under Ballmer and leave on the good news? Something wrong with the water in Redmond?

  • Reply 3 of 41
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,712member
    dreyfus2 wrote: »
    Wait a minute... Why would somebody voluntarily stay under Ballmer and leave on the good news? Something wrong with the water in Redmond?

    Bingo, my exact thought. In fact I'd think people who left already would be asking if they can now come back!

    Love that picture of Monkey Boy! You can just imagine what he was thinking under that, oh so false looking, smile ... 'If you don't get this picture taken in the next ten seconds I will throw this chair at you!"
  • Reply 4 of 41
    Apple...please don't consider hiring an of those ex-Zune or Surface designers! Lol
  • Reply 5 of 41
    drblankdrblank Posts: 3,385member
    Where are they going to go if they work up in Redmond? Nintendo? They are separated from the rest of the world if they work in Washington. It's not like there's a ton of other high tech companies that can slip into.
  • Reply 6 of 41


    Ha! Microsoft can't guarantee that a new CEO will hold to the restructuring done by Steve Bozo if they want a CEO worth his/her salt. You either put the new guy in charge or he won't take the job. He/She has a lot of changing to do or you'll see the same Clown Posse results going forward. 

  • Reply 7 of 41
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Oh please, please, can we start calling Microsoft "beleaguered" now? Can we, can we?
  • Reply 8 of 41
    gustavgustav Posts: 827member
    With their current ranking system, I would never work for Microsoft. If that goes away, I'd be much much more inclined to stay if I worked there.
  • Reply 9 of 41
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,712member
    lkrupp wrote: »
    Oh please, please, can we start calling Microsoft "beleaguered" now? Can we, can we?

    Superb ... ROFL I spilled my coffee when I read that ...
  • Reply 10 of 41
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    'rival tech companies'?

    Who on earth would want ex-MS employees?

    Maybe that's harsh. I'm sure the employees themselves are capable, it was just that the company as a whole they missed so many opportunities, lacked vision and execution.
  • Reply 11 of 41

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by rcoleman1 View Post



    Apple...please don't consider hiring an of those ex-Zune or Surface designers! Lol


     


     


     


    Bill Gates and his partners are flimflamming America. (1995)


     — Ray Bradbury


     


     


    The FlimFlam man qualified himself with an honorary degree: Mordecai Jones M.B.S. C.S D.D.


     


    *Master of Back-Stabbin', Cork-Screwin' and Dirty-Dealin'


     


    This is the training MS alumni understands.

  • Reply 12 of 41
    paul94544paul94544 Posts: 1,027member
    If I understand Microsofts performance evaluations it probably goes something like this, employees are graded as follows and during a reorg the employees who may become concerned are the ones at the 2- and 3 levels because those are the ones that get let go first, all things being equal


    Level 1

    Consistently exceeds results/metrics and expectations. Creates or takes advantage of important opportunities.

    Level 2+

    Regularly exceeds most results/metrics and expectations.

    Job scope is greater relative to Category 2 or 2- performers.

    Level 2
    This employee is fully qualified with sufficient depth of knowledge and breadth of experience to perform the job.

    Level 2-
    Meets results/metrics and expectations, however, may not be able handle some aspects of the job compared to the "benchmark."


    Level 3
    Falls short meeting most results/metrics, and expectations.

    Generally about 10% of the employees fall into the level 1. 80% at level 2, and another 10% at level 3

    so its easy to cut 10% deadwood out pretty quickly without very much loss.
  • Reply 13 of 41
    paul94544paul94544 Posts: 1,027member
    I almost choked .... and I'd like to add we please not call Apple "Doomed" anymore please
  • Reply 14 of 41
    Quote:
    Microsoft is looking to reassure workers...

     

     

    Wait, I've seen this before with company's, they want to "reassure" you so you stay so they can fire your back side later in the "restructuring"... they also don't want everyone jumping ship at once so that the numbers jumping as well as the numbers let go in the "restructuring" don't make them look bad and drop their stock price.

     

    Either way... never believe a "reassurance" e-mail. The company only has their interest at heart, not you as an employee. Period.

     

    My advice to all ms's employee's.... get out now before the ship sinks. With the dev's getting upset about the 8.1 release, it's only a matter of time before most of those dev's drop windows and move on to other OS's to release their programs on.
  • Reply 15 of 41


    They should hire Scott Forstall so he can skeuomorph Windows.

  • Reply 16 of 41


    Slightly off topic I know, but his eyes in this picture. I cannot but help thinking back to Stargate SG1, & think there is something about the Goa'uld in those the eyes. image

  • Reply 17 of 41
    bdkennedy1bdkennedy1 Posts: 1,459member


    Those workers should have been spooked when Vista, Zune, Surface and Windows 8 failed.

  • Reply 18 of 41
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,301moderator
    gustav wrote: »
    With their current ranking system, I would never work for Microsoft. If that goes away, I'd be much much more inclined to stay if I worked there.

    Yeah it doesn't sound like a very good system:

    http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2013/08/microsoft_ceo_steve_ballmer_retires_a_firsthand_account_of_the_company_s.html

    Imagine what would happen if the company actually just folded over the next few years and left 1 billion or so PC users out on a limb. PC manufacturers would have to start resorting to using another OS. A lot of people would migrate to the Mac if that happened but it would be entertaining to see what replaced Windows as the OS of choice.
  • Reply 19 of 41
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member


    I prefer the Microsoft trolling stories over the Apple trolling stories.

  • Reply 20 of 41

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by bdkennedy1 View Post


    Those workers should have been spooked when Vista, Zune, Surface and Windows 8 failed.



     


    Don't forget the Kin

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