Microsoft Read Only Pink Slips

According to ValleyWag the Microsoft layoffs were sent by read only email:

Fired employees often say impolite things. But only at Microsoft are their pink slips unprintable. The software giant fired 1,400 people this week with specially encoded, read-only email.

A tipster who saw one of the notices says the email had DRM restrictions — similar to the ones that prevent the copying of music files — that prevented it from being forwarded or printed, and instructed the 1,400 fired employees to pack up their things and go home, where their severance package would be mailed: "No meeting with their boss. No meeting with HR. Nada."

It's a bit surprising that no one has raised a stink about Microsoft's email firings. Two years ago, when RadioShack laid off 400 people by email, it became a nationwide story. Perhaps Microsoft employees are more accustomed to doing business electronically. And give Microsoft HR some credit: Sparing the newly jobless an awkward, canned speech might actually be a blessing.

Well this is almost the level of security for President Obama's Blackberry. I am not surprised with Microsoft's technique. By giving no warning, employees had no time to collect work samples for their professional profiles nor the personal emails of colleagues. Forget about saying goodbye. This is a good example to all the complacent out there. Micorsoft had never done layoffs but there is a first time for everything. To not be prepared in this nuclear winter of a job market is foolhardy.

Go download all your work samples, slideshows, etc right now or maybe I should say upload them to Slideshare.com, Google Docs, etc. then link them to your Linkedin profile. This simply good Career Insurance , (check out this article I wrote for the Society for Human Resource Management).

From what I heard, Microsoft is still hiring as well so this is as much right sizing as it is downsizing. Not that it makes much difference to those who were pink-slipped.