Microsoft Layoffs: “Inhumane” Process Sparks Outrage,Devastation Among Remaining Staff
REDMOND,WA – A wave of mass layoffs at Microsoft has been described as “inhumane” and “repulsive” by current and former employees,with the process leaving a trail of confusion,panic,and plummeting morale.Sources speaking too Game Developer paint a grim picture of a company that has prioritized efficiency over empathy,leaving behind a “carcass of remaining employees” struggling to maintain productivity.
Autumn Mitchell, a senior QA tester at the company, did not mince words when describing the experience. “It’s not okay. It wasn’t normal,” Mitchell stated. “The way they do it is inhumane. I don’t care how often they say it is with dignity or that they want to do it in a respectful way. It is indeed not.”
The abrupt nature of the dismissals meant that manny employees were locked out of their accounts before receiving any official notification from HR, leading to widespread “confusion and panic.” Page Branson, whose specific role was not disclosed, corroborated this, stating that Microsoft “failed to effectively clarify who would be affected by the dismissals,” leaving colleagues “stripped and confused.”
Mitchell recounted the distressing experience of employees having to rush to post goodbyes on Slack to colleagues they had worked with for years, some of whom had contributed to the company for over fifteen years. “It’s disgusting. It’s disgusting,” she emphasized.
Mitchell’s message to executives is clear: “They have to review this process,as it is indeed not normal and it is not okay. This is an acute, traumatic experience and it must be treated in this very way. How do we reduce the impact of how traumatizing this is for people, including those who are left behind.”
The impact extends beyond those who were laid off. Branson highlighted the ripple effect, noting that even those spared are affected. “These masses have affected real people and real families and thrown their lives in chaos. I hope for empathy, that’s the core of my message. I hope that people are empathetic and think of the human suffering when it comes to this.”
The loss of experienced personnel has created notable operational challenges. “A lot of practical knowledge has disappeared in one fell swoop,” Branson explained. “Everyone who has left the wrote the wrote as well as possible. The plummeting morality and general confusion has been extended to our workflows. We had very reliable people working on things hear, which are no longer there. Microsoft has caught everything that could have been great in terms of culture and collaboration, and has beheaded it. Moral is terrible. It’s grotesque. People are stressed. They cry.”
Mitchell further described the current state of Zenimax, the studio affected by these layoffs, as a “carcass of remaining employees” who must “somehow continue to make prize-winning games.”
Notably, both Mitchell and Branson are members of the Zwu-CWA, a union for Zenimax employees. While the union could not prevent the layoffs, they are credited with considerably mitigating the damage, leaving observers to ponder what a worse scenario might have entailed.
As our guest columnist, university professor of Finance Mark Dijkstra of the Free University of amsterdam, notes, companies often prioritize financial outcomes.However,the human cost of such decisions,as evidenced by the experiences at Microsoft,raises critical questions about corporate duty and the ethical implications of mass dismissals.
