Microsoft has extended voluntary buyout offers to nearly 60,000 employees across the US, UK, Canada, and India.
Amy Coleman, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, in a communication shared with Microsoft employees on October 26, said that this offer “gives eligible employees who may be considering a future outside the company a new choice to make that transition now with support.”
Beyond compensation, the voluntary exit deal includes equity protections to help leaving workers retain their earned stock rewards. Microsoft is offering extended healthcare subsidies as part of the package. Eligible employees have until early December to decide whether to accept the exit terms.
Payouts are structured around an internal experience scale for employees from level 59 to Level 70, according to the report. Staff at Level 64 and below will receive one week of base pay for every six months of service at the company. Those ranked from Levels 65 to 67 will receive two weeks of base pay per six months, with overall financial severance capped at 39 weeks of pay. The standard severance offer for level 68 includes 12 months of salary. Depending on their specific tenure and job tier, eligible employees will receive between 6 to 12 months of accelerated stock vesting.
This is a time-limited, voluntary program that gives those who are eligible the opportunity to leave Microsoft with financial support and career planning resources. Some organizations are providing the Voluntary Exit Offer, and some are not. Participation varies based on each business’s priorities, customer commitments and workforce needs. Eligible employees will receive an email with a link to their Voluntary Exit Offer details within the next few hours.
“This offer will be available to eligible employees in participating teams in Canada, India, the United Kingdom and the United States at level 70 and below.
At the time, the company’s chief business officer, Philipp Schindler, said that some employees could leave with severance packages.
Earlier this year, Google offered voluntary exit packages to some employees.
