Microsoft Lays off 800 More Workers Worldwide

In addition to the layoffs already made this year, Microsoft has announced it will be cutting another 800 jobs. Not all the news today is bad, Microsoft has added some 2,000 jobs this year and expects to add more jobs in “key areas.”

Microsoft also said in January it would continue to hire in key areas such as Web search. The software maker, based in Redmond, Wash., employed about 94,000 people as of the end of December 2008. At the end of September, about 91,000 people worked for Microsoft, indicating the company has added 2,000 jobs this year.

pretty much the norm for MSFT they hire people in one area and lay off in another as they need people. Of course because of this they inflate the unemployment figures for Washington state.

Originally Posted by OCgamer666

pretty much the norm for MSFT they hire people in one area and lay off in another as they need people. Of course because of this they inflate the unemployment figures for Washington state.

which is something we do not need right now. i hate to see these layoffs, it causes my bosses to freak out about their jobs for a couple weeks which makes my life just great......

And over time, some of their older applications, services, etc, just sunset and are done for completely.

Originally Posted by OCgamer666

pretty much the norm for MSFT they hire people in one area and lay off in another as they need people. Of course because of this they inflate the unemployment figures for Washington state.

You do know that the layoffs they had early this year or last year were the first in MS's history right?

Originally Posted by OCgamer666

pretty much the norm for MSFT they hire people in one area and lay off in another as they need people. Of course because of this they inflate the unemployment figures for Washington state.

It's called business, get over it.

I love how the forums are a buzz today over the evil MS laying off all of these people....never mind the fact that they gave 75,000 more people jobs over the past decade as the company grew. What does everyone expect them to do? Lose money hand over fist so that a few losers on the forums don't get their panties in a wad?

Originally Posted by k1pp3r

You do know that the layoffs they had early this year or last year were the first in MS's history right?

Nope....they've been doing yearly lay-offs of contractors to hire them back x months later for years...ever since they got nailed in that IPO lawsuit. Actaully it's their example for the 1y/4mo plan that has lead to nearly every tech corporation doing the same with their contractors.

This might be the first layoff of "full hires", but they have had a LONG history of lay-offs just for the sake of keeping headcount low (study the lawsuit to understand what I mean by this).

Originally Posted by mustang_steve

Nope....they've been doing yearly lay-offs of contractors to hire them back x months later for years...ever since they got nailed in that IPO lawsuit. Actaully it's their example for the 1y/4mo plan that has lead to nearly every tech corporation doing the same with their contractors.

This might be the first layoff of "full hires", but they have had a LONG history of lay-offs just for the sake of keeping headcount low (study the lawsuit to understand what I mean by this).

You're comparing contractors with actual employees? Contractors are by nature temporary third party hired to do a job, and when they're finished they move on to other jobs with other companies unless the current company has another job for them. That's why they're called CONTRACTors. They fulfilled it as scheduled.

Originally Posted by mustang_steve

Nope....they've been doing yearly lay-offs of contractors to hire them back x months later for years...ever since they got nailed in that IPO lawsuit. Actaully it's their example for the 1y/4mo plan that has lead to nearly every tech corporation doing the same with their contractors.

This might be the first layoff of "full hires", but they have had a LONG history of lay-offs just for the sake of keeping headcount low (study the lawsuit to understand what I mean by this).

Yeah, when their contract expires, they contract them again. They are contractors lol

One of my friends was one of those 800... Pretty sad day.

Originally Posted by Azhar

You're comparing contractors with actual employees? Contractors are by nature temporary third party hired to do a job, and when they're finished they move on to other jobs with other companies unless the current company has another job for them. That's why they're called CONTRACTors. They fulfilled it as scheduled.

As a contractor working with multiple clients I can tell you that what you have stated is not entirely accurate.

A contractor is hired by a client to fulfill a need without all the overhead of an employee which is typically 30% higher than a contract worker when you count in benefits, insurance, etc.

Some contracts are term but others are ongoing. I finished up a contracting position recently that lasted over 10 years. I've had others that were over as soon as the server was up an running. It all depends.

What Microsoft got into trouble for was calling employees "contractors" to get out of offering benefits that a standard employee would be entitled to. The IRS definition of a contractor is very clear and is the standard a company must go by to stay out of trouble.

If I'm a contractor for your company, All you have say over is the deliverables on the project (results). You cannot provide me a designated regular work area, put me under direct supervision of a company employee or expect me to participate in company functions or adhere to company policy outside the scope of the project (non disclosure, security measures, etc.) For all intents and purposes I'm pretty much the repair guy who comes to fix the washing machine. I call you up and tell you when I'll be there then when I show up I do my job to your satisfaction, get paid and pack my crap up and go.

That's how it works, period. Try to treat a contractor like an employee and the IRS will be knocking on your door, no joke.

Originally Posted by jwalk6

As a contractor working with multiple clients I can tell you that what you have stated is not entirely accurate.

A contractor is hired by a client to fulfill a need without all the overhead of an employee which is typically 30% higher than a contract worker when you count in benefits, insurance, etc.

Some contracts are term but others are ongoing. I finished up a contracting position recently that lasted over 10 years. I've had others that were over as soon as the server was up an running. It all depends.

What Microsoft got into trouble for was calling employees "contractors" to get out of offering benefits that a standard employee would be entitled to. The IRS definition of a contractor is very clear and is the standard a company must go by to stay out of trouble.

If I'm a contractor for your company, All you have say over is the deliverables on the project (results). You cannot provide me a designated regular work area, put me under direct supervision of a company employee or expect me to participate in company functions or adhere to company policy outside the scope of the project (non disclosure, security measures, etc.) For all intents and purposes I'm pretty much the repair guy who comes to fix the washing machine. I call you up and tell you when I'll be there then when I show up I do my job to your satisfaction, get paid and pack my crap up and go.

That's how it works, period. Try to treat a contractor like an employee and the IRS will be knocking on your door, no joke.

As a contractor myself with some serious responsibilities, I can tell you that I'm nothing more than a high end pencil.

My Dad was laid off the F-22 project (still classified back then) the day the Berlin Wall came down....contractor...he accepts the risk.

Originally Posted by Methadras

As a contractor myself with some serious responsibilities, I can tell you that I'm nothing more than a high end pencil.

Just as long as you stay sharp you'll be fine..

Originally Posted by Azhar

You're comparing contractors with actual employees? Contractors are by nature temporary third party hired to do a job, and when they're finished they move on to other jobs with other companies unless the current company has another job for them. That's why they're called CONTRACTors. They fulfilled it as scheduled.

You missed the point. The tech industry as a whole employ contractors and abuse them as a means to keep headcount low as well as not having to hand out severeance packages when they need to reduce headcount. These aren't short-term deals usually.

Some of the MS lawsuit guys were there for many years straight. Not months, not a year. This is where the year on, x months off came from. They KNOW they are getting re-hired, and for the SAME project.

Of course this won't click with you until you've lived it I suppose. Either way you fail to grasp what I was trying to say.

Originally Posted by mustang_steve

You missed the point. The tech industry as a whole employ contractors and abuse them as a means to keep headcount low as well as not having to hand out severeance packages when they need to reduce headcount. These aren't short-term deals usually.

Some of the MS lawsuit guys were there for many years straight. Not months, not a year. This is where the year on, x months off came from. They KNOW they are getting re-hired, and for the SAME project.

Of course this won't click with you until you've lived it I suppose. Either way you fail to grasp what I was trying to say.

No, I got your point now. I was thinking of contractors always being temporary no matter how permanent they seem to be working. They can be terminated at any time after their contract is fulfilled (with exceptions here and there), but I wasn't thinking about how companies use contractors in place of actual employees to bend rules or labor laws.

I was a laborer for a construction company contracted to a steel plant, LTV Steel, in East Chicago for 5 years before they went bankrupt and closed down. I'm pretty familiar with the life of a contractor. You live and work day by day, always wondering how long you have, always keeping your bank topped off for rainy days.