微软正向约 6 万名员工（占员工总数 25% 以上）提供买断方案。按任何标准衡量，这都是一个巨大的数字，本周在业内引发了强烈震动和信号释放。我曾任微软人力资源副总裁，虽然离开公司已有一段时间，没有内部消息，但凭借在微软和业内长达 50 年的从业经历，以下是微软员工应当考量的因素——以及他们可能未曾意识到的接受买断方案的细节。
Microsoft is offering buyout packages to some 60,000 employees, or more than 25% of the workforce. That's a huge number in any terms, and it sent a signal and shock wave through the industry this week. I'm the former VP of HR for Microsoft, and although I've been away from the company for some time and have no insider information, having been on the inside at Microsoft and in the industry for 50 years, here is what Microsoft employees should be considering — and what they may not realize about taking a buyout offer.
在买断过程中，职位、工龄、职级及其他因素会被纳入考量，为每位员工量身定制方案。方案通常包含补偿金、福利延续，以及可能的股权归属加速或延续。话虽如此，微软提供的买断条件未必比遣散费方案更优厚，但公司通常会给自愿离职者比被裁员者更好的条件。这不仅是为了诱导员工自愿离职，还因为员工自愿离职能降低公司成本：法律风险、时间成本和费用支出都会减少，管理起来也更容易。
During a buyout, position, tenure, level, and other factors are taken into account for each bespoke offer. The offer is likely to include compensation, benefit continuation, and possibly some acceleration or continuation of equity vesting. That said, Microsoft might not offer more generous buyouts than severance packages, but companies usually offer better terms to people who take a voluntary separation than people who get laid off. That is not only to induce employees to go voluntarily, but also because the costs to the company are less if these workers voluntarily leave. There is less legal risk, time, and expense.
如果你收到买断方案，我通常认为这可能是你能拿到的最好报价。如果不是，你可能拿到的条件与被裁员者无异，却错失了领取失业救济金的机会。收到买断方案后，审视个人预算应是下一步。该方案能否让你退休？能否支撑一段较长的求职期？买断方案可以倒逼你做出一些极其艰难的职业抉择。请花时间梳理现金流，并格外关注福利待遇。
It's also simply easier for the company to manage. If you're offered a buyout, I usually find it could be the best offer you'll get. If it's not, you could be settling for the same offer as someone in a layoff and miss out on collecting unemployment. If you get a buyout offer, looking at your budget should be your next step. Does the offer provide you with enough to retire? Enough to support an extended job search? The buyout can be a good forcing function for some very hard career choices. Spend time looking at your cash flows, and pay particular attention to benefits.
对许多人而言，医疗开支占据预算很大比重。将买断方案与继续享有医保覆盖进行权衡，往往成为决策的关键转折点。同时也要考虑你可能面临的股权归属日期。
For many, healthcare costs are a substantial part of their budget. Weighing the buyout offer against continued coverage is often a tipping point in the decision. Also consider any equity vesting dates you may have.
对比在有无收购提议的情况下您可能获得的归属日期，因为这些日期可能意味着您投资的重大变化。您是否应该接受收购提议，高度取决于提议本身以及您的具体情况。如果您已将退休列入计划，这项提议可能正是您迈出那一步所需的契机。这或许是您这辈子能见到的最好的提议。然而，如果您需要继续工作，则还有许多因素需要考虑。
Compare when you might vest with and without the offer, as those dates can mean a significant change in your investments. Whether you should take the buyout is highly dependent on both the offer and your situation. If you had retirement anywhere in sight, this offer might be just the trigger you need to move on. Perhaps the best offer you'll ever see. However, if you need to continue working, there's a great deal more to consider.
过去一年左右，科技行业的就业市场一直很糟糕，且显示出进一步恶化的所有迹象。如果收购提议无法让您负担得起退休，您应该做好经历一段漫长求职期的准备，可能长达六个月或更久。形势很严峻。请做好准备。
The tech industry job market has been rough for the last year or so, and shows all the signs of getting worse. If the buyout doesn't afford you the ability to retire, you should plan on an extended period of job searching, maybe six months or more. It's tough out there. Be prepared.
如果您需要继续工作，有一点值得考虑：接受收购提议可能会让您在就业市场上获得一个短暂的先发优势。假设微软和其他公司效仿上次的做法，随后进行更多裁员，技术类职位市场将充斥着大量优秀人才。当然，您可以在职求职，但接受收购提议能为您腾出全职求职的时间。无论如何，如果您未来需要求职，请不要拖延。这个市场没有任何好转的迹象。
One thing to consider if you need to continue working is that taking the buyout might give you a short head start in the job market. Assuming Microsoft and others follow this up with more layoffs like they did the last time, the technical job market will be flooded with quality people. Of course, you can search for a job while you have one, but taking the buyout gives you time for a full-time job search. In any case, if a job search is in your future, don't delay. This market shows no sign of getting better.
最后，如果您收到收购提议，请不要无视它。这是一个信号。我将其解读为公司从其视角出发，对您价值的一个明确信号。您可以押注概率，但如果后续发生裁员，我打赌那些拒绝收购提议的人会出现在裁员名单上。这项收购提议是就业市场（至少在科技领域）正在进行广泛重组的最新信号。即使您未收到提议，或不认为自己面临后续裁员的风险，明智的做法也是保持所有选择开放。
Finally, if you're offered a buyout, don't ignore it. It's a sign. I'd read it as a clear signal from the company about your value, at least from their perspective. You can bet on the odds, but if follow-up layoffs happen, I'd bet that those who declined the buyout are somewhere on that list. This buyout is the latest signal of a broad realignment of the job market, at least in the tech sector. Even if you aren't offered it or don't think you're at risk of later layoffs, you'd be wise to keep all your options open.
更新您的简历。花时间打磨它，突出您最清晰、最核心的技能组合。当市场收缩时，最稳妥的押注是拥有一项雇主正在寻找的特定技能。
Get your résumé up to date. Spend time honing it, emphasizing the clearest set of skills you can. When a market is contracting, the safest bet is having a particular skill someone is looking for.
手头紧的时候，通才往往是第一个被裁掉的。经营并拓展你的人脉。和你认识的每个人喝杯咖啡或视频聊一聊。艰难时期，其他公司、甚至其他行业的同行都弥足珍贵。尤其是在世界正在变化、预测下一个热点如此之难的时候，拥有尽可能多跨行业的热络人脉是一笔巨大的资产。不要急着去求职，更要紧的是让这些人脉保持活跃。
When times are tight, the generalist is often the first person let go. Work with and expand your network. Have coffee or a Zoom chat with everyone you know. Peers in other companies, even other industries, are invaluable when things get tough. Especially when the world is changing, and predicting the next hot spot is so hard, having as many warm connections across industries is a huge asset. Don't go asking for jobs as much as keep those connections alive.
你永远不知道什么时候某人的经理会说：“我们需要那样的人。”而你的朋友可以说：“我正好认识一个人。”无论是否有人向你提出买断，也无论你决定接受与否，拥有一张可以联系的人脉网是你最重要的职业资产。先做预算，再对外联络。仔细规划你近期和长期的财务未来，依据确凿的事实做决定。然后与你在各行各业、天南海北认识的人联系。
You never know when someone's manager will say, "We need someone like that." And your friend can say, "I know just the person." Whether you are offered a buyout, or whether you decide to take it or not, having a network of people to connect with is your single biggest career asset. Budget first, and outreach next. Carefully decide your near- and long-term financial future, and make the decision from hard facts. Then connect with people you know across industries, far and wide.
这些人脉将成为极好的参谋，很可能为你铺就通往下一份工作的道路，或者成为你退休时需要的朋友。就这篇报道联系微软时，微软发言人让《商业内幕》参考微软官方博客上的声明，声明部分内容写道：“今天，我们向参与该计划的组织内符合条件的员工推出一项新的自愿离职方案（VEO）。”他们补充说，“VEO类似于标准的遣散方案，具体因市场而异。该方案包括基于已完成服务年限和基本工资的补偿，以及职业过渡服务，其中包括职业辅导和求职协助。”
Those connections will be excellent sounding boards and could well provide the path to your next role, or the friends you need in retirement. When contacted about this story, a Microsoft spokesperson pointed Business Insider to its statement on the official Microsoft Blog, which read in part, "Today, we're introducing a new Voluntary Exit Offer (VEO) to eligible employees within participating organizations." They added that "the VEO is similar to a standard severance offer, which varies by market. The offer includes payment based on completed service and base pay, as well as career transition services, which includes career coaching and job search assistance."