Microsoft HR head gives employees 5 days ‘deadline’ to …. or leave the company

Microsoft has implemented a new performance management strategy that gives underperforming employees the option to accept a payout and leave the company instead of entering a performance improvement plan (PIP), according to internal documents.

The company is now offering 16 weeks of pay to employees identified as low performers who choose to voluntarily leave, Business Insider reported. This approach mirrors Amazon’s controversial “Pivot” program, which has faced criticism for allegedly being designed to meet firing quotas rather than genuinely help employees improve.