Microsoft makes new ‘voluntary exit’ offer to about a quarter of its workforce, including some execs

Microsoft’s new buyout offer comes six months after its first-ever voluntary retirement program. (Photo by Dasharath Sunar on Unsplash ) Microsoft is making a new buyout offer to a much broader group of employees, this time including some executives — signaling that it’s not done shrinking its workforce despite thousands of layoffs and retirements this year. The Voluntary Exit Offer, announced Monday in a memo to employees, is open to about 60,000 people in participating teams in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and India, the company told GeekWire. That’s about a quarter of its workforce, which numbered 223,000 people at last count. Microsoft didn’t provide a projection for how many employees will accept, but the company told GeekWire it anticipates a much smaller share than the roughly 30% who took its earlier voluntary retirement offer, which went to longtime employees more likely to take the deal. “This offer gives eligible employees who may be considering a future outside the company a new choice to make that transition now with support,” wrote Amy Coleman, Microsoft’s chief people officer, in the memo to employees. It also gives participating organizations within the company “another way to adapt their workforce to changing needs,” she added. Microsoft’s count of 223,000 full-time employees as of June 30 was down from 228,000 a year earlier, according to its annual filings. That latest number came before its July layoffs. However, Microsoft says the offer isn’t a sign that it needs fewer employees. Instead, a company spokesperson described it as one of several ways it’s adjusting to changing business needs. The Voluntary Exit Offer includes financial support and career planning resources, according to the memo. It says eligible employees will receive the details by email. The package is equivalent to Microsoft’s standard severance, according to the company, including base pay based on tenure and level, continued stock vesting, healthcare coverage for a fixed period and career transition services. It doesn’t include the extended healthcare that was a major draw of the retirement program. Employees have until the first week of December to decide. The new offer does not come with any age or tenure requirement, and performance isn’t a factor, the company said. It goes up to level 70 on Microsoft’s internal scale, which includes general managers and some employees with vice president titles, but not corporate vice presidents. That’s a big change from the …