this post was submitted on 30 Aug 2023
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Leaked Microsoft memo tells managers not to use budget cuts as an explainer for lack of pay rises: ‘Reinforce that every year offers unique opportunity for impact’::Managers are being ordered to dodge employees' questions about how the latest budget cuts will impact their pay.

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[–] andrewrgross@slrpnk.net 185 points 1 year ago (4 children)

This is so backwards. I had to read this a few times to try to make sense of the memo. Apparently, the reasoning is that instead of telling employees that they didn't get a raise because of company-wide cuts, try to convince them that they just did a bad job?

That's stupid. That would obviously have the opposite effect of softening the disappointment. Whoever wrote this memo is an idiot who has no idea what employees do or what they think.

[–] evatronic@lemm.ee 86 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's only stupid if you think Microsoft wants to retain employees.

The tech industry is contracting after over expanding during the pandemic and, instead of layoffs, MS is hoping to get to their budget cuts by attrition.

[–] million@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] jonne@infosec.pub 15 points 1 year ago

Don't worry, if a competitor shows up (possibly started by an ex employee), they can just buy them. The lack of any kind of anti trust enforcement made the whole concept of innovation by competition irrelevant.

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 44 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Yes, this is a tactic used by lots of the large software companies when they want to raise the bottom lines, and phase out an aging workforce because saying the word "layoffs" affects share price. It also helps to reduce the salary demands of any incoming workers to replace the outgoing, because the baseline gets reset without having to justify why profits are high, but workers won't be getting any of that (previous position at 75% premium, but incoming at 25% less than scale).

An example with Google in 2021-2022: tell all your middle-managers they'll need to do something unreasonable like relocate to keep their job, wait for some to leave, then put the rest on PIPs and promise their underlings they can apply for the soon-to-be vacant role if they keep up the good work. Effectively, Google only had to publicly acknowledge firing 12,000 employees, when closer to 20,000 were displaced for various reasons. It's a shitty shell game to keep the share price high, and force people who stick around to do more work for less money.

[–] Haui@discuss.tchncs.de 10 points 1 year ago

I might get sick. This is so disgusting I can’t even. Thanks for pointing that out. As an entrepreneur, I always try to make it worth everyones time. Seeing stuff like this just makes me sad.

[–] silvercove@lemdro.id 18 points 1 year ago

Apparently, the reasoning is that instead of telling employees that they didn’t get a raise because of company-wide cuts, try to convince them that they just did a bad job?

This is what you do if you want to encourage attrition.

[–] NatakuNox@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No companies will always frame any negative situation as the employees fault. It's gasslighting 101

[–] SCB@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

My company tanked last year and I ended up getting laid off, and as part of the process senior leadership owned the budget problems and in my layoff, I was given full pay for 16 weeks and uncontested unemployment (which I did not end up needing), as well as a job recommendation. Fortune 100 company.

Microsoft fucked up here and this manager memo is ridiculously stupid. This is how you hemorrhage the talent you're trying desperately to keep during budget shortfalls.

Companies aren't supervillains. They're just people, and people here fucked up.

[–] jtk@lemmy.sdf.org 118 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Every corp knows we're in late stage capitalism. They're not even trying to hide it anymore. Any individual that makes a billion dollars should be viewed as an enemy, even millionaires should be very nervous.

[–] Blastasaurus@lemm.ee 38 points 1 year ago (2 children)

What - you can't even buy a nice two-bedroom condo here for a million dollars, I think you need to re-evaluate what a millionaire is today.

[–] NatakuNox@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

Buying a million dollar house and being a millionaire are two different things. Multi millionaires are part of the problem as well.

[–] PickTheStick@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I took it to mean people who earn that much per year. The average person working a $30k+ job should have more than a million in the bank at retirement, and that should have been enough to retire on comfortably. Now I'm being told it's more than 1.5-2 million dollars at retirement.

[–] Vent@lemm.ee 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You pretty much need to be a multimillionaire to retire these days and it's not that hard to do with a half decent job and basic retirement planning, especially when factoring in a home to your net worth (which is standard). Millionaires are not the enemy. $1m is 1000x closer to $0 than $1B.

[–] Sharkwellington@lemmy.one 46 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I don't disagree with the sentiment, but "get a half decent job, do basic planning, and factor in the cost of the home you definitely own" is a massive simplification and a lot of people cannot meet those requirements through no fault of their own.

[–] altima_neo@lemmy.zip 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, thats already proper middle class, and middle class is pretty hard for a lot of people to attain these days.

[–] Haui@discuss.tchncs.de 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Most people are not even able to accumulate any capital while paying bills. If you‘re not in the fortunate position of a collage education or similar, you‘re pretty fucked.

[–] MasterBlaster@links.hackliberty.org 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Even with a college education, you’re usually fucked.

Most people talking about how to become multimillionaires have the benefit of generational wealth. Even if they’re not directly dipping in to family funds, it’s a support system that us poors don’t have.

[–] Haui@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 1 year ago

Tell me about it. Grew up poor, kicked out of school due to undiagnosed neurological stuff.

I did manage to build a company out of thin air (and working 16 hrs a day). Then covid happened. I‘m rather gonna starve than go back an suck corpo cock.

[–] Sharkwellington@lemmy.one 4 points 1 year ago

Always have to link this comic when generational wealth comes up.

Personally I know that I'm one of the ones who lucked out. My family wasn't rich but we didn't struggle. I'd like that to be the minimum experience for everybody.

[–] Vent@lemm.ee 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Not saying everyone can do it, just that we're all on the same side. It's important to remember who your friends are. The doctor that works 12h+ a day and has a few million in the bank is not the same as the billionaire playing God and zipping around to all major world events in their private jet while siphoning profits from thousands of workers.

That depends on which side the doctor decides to support. A few million lets you play the game, and even if you’re just a pawn, you can do some damage.

[–] altima_neo@lemmy.zip 14 points 1 year ago (4 children)

What about us hundredaires?

[–] tony@lemmy.hoyle.me.uk 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You have a positive balance? :o

[–] nevemsenki@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Two negatives are a positive, right?

[–] Restaldt@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

You get eaten after the thousandaires

[–] Marsupial@quokk.au 1 points 1 year ago

You’ll be given cushy jobs!

[–] JuxtaposedJaguar@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

Check out Mr/Mrs money bags over here.

[–] Zoboomafoo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

The same late stage capitalism we've been in since the term was coined 175 years ago?

[–] notannpc@lemmy.world 34 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In other words “Leaked memo tells managers to lie”.

It’s not the lie that matters. It’s what the lie is.

I think most of us just assume lying is the standard from companies.

[–] Zardoz@lemmy.world 27 points 1 year ago

'unique opportunity for impact'

Impact can't pay my fucking debt

[–] Mojojojo1993@lemmy.world 27 points 1 year ago

Cunts. Same shit different day.

Rich get richer.

[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago

Fuck Microsoft and Fuck Satya Nadella

[–] Commiunism@lemmy.wtf 23 points 1 year ago

Literally carrot on a stick tactics

[–] Gazumi@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Men, many of you won't survive, but think of the glory! Hail Microsoft!!!!

[–] Biscuit303@reddthat.com 1 points 1 year ago

"You see, killbots have a preset kill limit. Knowing their weakness, I sent wave after wave of my own men at them until they reached their limit and shut down." - Captain Zap Brannigan

[–] VicentAdultman@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

How did big tech companies got like these? Bigger cut for owners? I remember when a person got a job in Microsoft, Google, etc, it meant that they were financial stable in a good job that didn't drain all of their energy. We need tech more than ever now. Is it because there are so many devs these days? AI? All these things all together?

[–] skymtf@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I kinda hate how it seems like programming will be at best a 30 per hour job in the future, likely leading to me needing two jobs. Its like I just graduated and I'm kinda frustrated with the state of this industry

[–] skymtf@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 year ago

Not to mention back to the office bullshit will sooner or later force me to move somewhere with a 10X cost of living.