Microsoft should've let Stephen Elop go

[Rogifan]

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/07/microsoft-lays-off-thousands-with-bad-memo.html

First he starts his layoff memo with the phrase "Hello There". Then it takes until the 11th paragraph to actually mention 12,500 people would be losing their jobs. And this is the way he announced it:

We plan that this would result in an estimated reduction of 12,500 factory direct and professional employees over the next year. These decisions are difficult for the team, and we plan to support departing team members’ with severance benefits.

"we plan to support departing team members’ with severance benefits" is all the sympathy or feeling he can muster? And when he says "these decisions are difficult for the team" it sounds so impersonal and uncaring, as if he feels bad for himself and his managers, not the people losing their jobs. Also, why spread this out over a year? The most painless way to implement job cuts is do them quickly. Why not tell people now but give them time to either find another job within the company or externally? I can't see how this is good for morale. Who would give 100% not knowing if they're one of the 18,000 or not?

Elop is the one that needs to go.

 

[MozMan68]

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/07/microsoft-lays-off-thousands-with-bad-memo.html

First he starts his layoff memo with the phrase "Hello There". Then it takes until the 11th paragraph to actually mention 12,500 people would be losing their jobs. And this is the way he announced it:



"we plan to support departing team members’ with severance benefits" is all the sympathy or feeling he can muster? And when he says "these decisions are difficult for the team" it sounds so impersonal and uncaring, as if he feels bad for himself and his managers, not the people losing their jobs. Also, why spread this out over a year? The most painless way to implement job cuts is do them quickly. Why not tell people now but give them time to either find another job within the company or externally? I can't see how this is good for morale. Who would give 100% not knowing if they're one of the 18,000 or not?

Elop is the one that needs to go.

Could it be the memo was written in another language and something was lost in translation.

 

[maflynn]

Could it be the memo was written in another language and something was lost in translation.

Or at the very least, taking the conventions of another language and culture. We Americans want to get to the point. Give me bullet items, where as other cultures tend to be more expansive.

I won't criticize for over communicating, though he does seem to be beating around the bush.

 

[Lloydbm41]

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/07/microsoft-lays-off-thousands-with-bad-memo.html

First he starts his layoff memo with the phrase "Hello There". Then it takes until the 11th paragraph to actually mention 12,500 people would be losing their jobs. And this is the way he announced it:



"we plan to support departing team members’ with severance benefits" is all the sympathy or feeling he can muster? And when he says "these decisions are difficult for the team" it sounds so impersonal and uncaring, as if he feels bad for himself and his managers, not the people losing their jobs. Also, why spread this out over a year? The most painless way to implement job cuts is do them quickly. Why not tell people now but give them time to either find another job within the company or externally? I can't see how this is good for morale. Who would give 100% not knowing if they're one of the 18,000 or not?

Elop is the one that needs to go.

Elop was placed at Nokia by Microsoft with what was likely a known safety clause to return to Microsoft, once Nokia was absorbed. I doubt he gives two craps about the Nokia employees. I think they knew they were cannon fodder the second rumors came out that Microsoft would be buying Nokia.

And I have no love for Elop. This is one of those monkey's that Microsoft still has in their ranks from the Ballmer days and should be axed by Nadella. But the guy probably has a clause or contract preventing such action at this time.

 

[Rogifan]

Or at the very least, taking the conventions of another language and culture. We Americans want to get to the point. Give me bullet items, where as other cultures tend to be more expansive.

I won't criticize for over communicating, though he does seem to be beating around the bush.

I have a feeling the Nokia employees around the world would have appreciated him getting to the point. All they care about right now is whether they have a job or not. And if it's going to take 6 months to a a year to find out I can't imagine that will be great for morale. But I suppose Microsoft is stretching it out hoping some of these people will quit and then they don't have to pay them severance.

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Elop was placed at Nokia by Microsoft with what was likely a known safety clause to return to Microsoft, once Nokia was absorbed. I doubt he gives two craps about the Nokia employees. I think they knew they were cannon fodder the second rumors came out that Microsoft would be buying Nokia.

And I have no love for Elop. This is one of those monkey's that Microsoft still has in their ranks from the Ballmer days and should be axed by Nadella. But the guy probably has a clause or contract preventing such action at this time.

I've got to imagine the morale of these Nokia employees is in the gutter right now. All these layoffs while Elop got a payoff of $33M. Personally I think had Nadella been CEO last year he wouldn't have purchased Nokia's handset business. People keep talking about overlap...but Microsoft was never really a hardware company so I'd love to know what Nokia employees, especially on the manufacturing side are redundant with existing Microsoft employees. I don't buy it.

 

[MRU]

I'm in two minds ...

Whilst undoubtably anyone losing their job it's painful. But hey I live in a country that saw 500,000 people lose jobs since the financial crisis.

On the other hand - if you don't need 12,000 people why continue any longer than necessary to pay salaries ? Microsoft have to have a business head on and what surprised me was that Nokia even had that many employees to be honest.

Also I suspect the talk around water coolers in both the factories & offices ever since the mention of Microsoft acquisition has been about lay offs and redundancies internally.

 

[maflynn]

I have a feeling the Nokia employees around the world would have appreciated him getting to the point

Yeah, I agree, but I'm pretty sure they knew what was occurring even before the email was sent

It was awkwardly written, but I'll given him the benefit of doubt, that it may be somewhat related to either language and/or culture.