14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has quietly conducted a new layoff this week, and it’s being reported that corporate offices and several other regions worldwide were targeted.
Microsoft laid off thousands of people after taking over Nokia’s Devices and Services unit, but according to a report from Petri, this is nothing like that. It’s only a small job cut that concerns hundreds of individuals, “not thousands,” the source adds.
It’s believed that the Windows and Devices Group was hit the hardest by the layoff, but other units were also impacted, like Bing, tooling teams, and other operational divisions.
Microsoft has apparently confirmed the layoff but without providing any other specifics as to why it cut the workforce and what divisions were hit.
Not a big layoff plan
The software giant has more than 100,000 employees worldwide, and the biggest job cut was announced in July 2014, shortly after purchasing Nokia’s Devices and Services unit. At that point, a total of 18,000 jobs were eliminated in several rounds.
While no official statements were provided for the layoff this week, Microsoft typically conducts them with transparency in mind, trying to make the transition for affected employees less painful. Satya Nadella had the following to say after the company’s biggest layoff plan in 2014:
“My promise to you is that we will go through this process in the most thoughtful and transparent way possible. We will offer severance to all employees impacted by these changes, as well as job transition help in many locations, and everyone can expect to be treated with the respect they deserve for their contributions to this company.”
It remains to be seen if Microsoft does share more information on this latest layoff, but judging from the existing details, it’s all just a minor workforce adjustment that won’t be followed by other rounds of job cuts in the coming weeks or months.