Microsoft is extending voluntary buyout offers to roughly 60,000 employees in the U.S., Canada, India and the U.K., the company said Monday. The time-limited program, available to select workers, includes financial support and career planning resources.
Eligible employees will receive an email with their individual offer details within hours, Chief People Officer Amy Coleman said in a message to staff. “The Voluntary Exit Offer reflects an important part of how we’re evolving our approach to change: creating greater flexibility and, where possible, more ways for employees to shape their next chapter,” she wrote.
Microsoft expects a lower acceptance rate than its previous voluntary retirement program in April, which offered buyouts to about 8,600 employees and saw more than 30% accept, according to a person familiar with the matter. The company employed 223,000 people as of the end of June.
That earlier program formed part of a broader effort to overhaul Microsoft’s performance system and its approach to bonuses and stock options, according to a memo from Coleman at the time.