CNET is reporting on the latest blunder by Microsoft. The company sent letters to some recently laid off workers explaining there was an accounting error resulting in an overpayment in severance pay.
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"An inadvertent administrative error occurred that resulted in an overpayment in severance pay by Microsoft," the letter states. "We ask that you repay the overpayment and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience to you."
A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that the authenticity of a letter posted on TechCrunch, but declined further comment, saying it was "a private matter between the company and the affected people."
The company declined to specify how many of these letters were sent out, and it's unknown how much the overpayments total, but it did indicate that some laid off employees were also undercompensated.
The letter failed to provide an explanation for the accounting error but did manage to add--with underlined emphasis--a veiled threat of monetary punishment if the money wasn't repaid, at least in the form of a tax impact.
My response would be "Oops! Due to an error I inadvertently came to work for you for $100,000 / year less than I should have. Please remit the outstanding ... "
If I was in the shoes of a liad-off worker who received an overpayment, I'd be keeping the hell out of it. Microsoft drafted the checks, so the overpayed parties in question would be perfectly within their rights to simply keep the money.
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Just saw someone in a fur coat walking a dog. "I love to take care of animals AND wear them!" If only they were holding a burger.
If I was in the shoes of a liad-off worker who received an overpayment, I'd be keeping the hell out of it. Microsoft drafted the checks, so the overpayed parties in question would be perfectly within their rights to simply keep the money.
It's a crappy situation, but there's no 'finders keepers' clause in this sort of situation. People are only entitled to what they earn.
Still, the bad PR cost of this move would probably outweigh any repayment expected. Odds are this was entirely within the pay department, and they didn't consult with anyone higher up before sending out these notices.
If I was in the shoes of a liad-off worker who received an overpayment, I'd be keeping the hell out of it. Microsoft drafted the checks, so the overpayed parties in question would be perfectly within their rights to simply keep the money.
That's.... not how I think it works. Wouldn't this be the same as if the bank make an error in your favor, it's within the banks rights to correct the error.
Unless there was an agreement in writing, saying what the severence would be, an issued check is the agreement to what the severence was. It's not finder's keeper's, it's no takebacks (indian giving is not a legal concept).
This is a truly bad p.r. move which would surely negate the savings of getting this small amount of money back. Truly...even if it's a million bucks in total, someone could have leaked a letter that MS could have sent to these workers telling their employees to keep the extra pay, and they would have looked like caring heroes.
Instead, they look like grubby leeches who can't get their crap together. Unfortunate.
That's.... not how I think it works. Wouldn't this be the same as if the bank make an error in your favor, it's within the banks rights to correct the error.
The only difference is that Microsoft had to blatantly draft the checks for these people. It would be comparable to someone writing you a check, only to realize they accidentally wrote too much and then proceeded to ask for the extra amount back. Technically, they granted you the ability to withdraw that original amount from their account and deposit it into your own.
I could be wrong, admittedly.
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Originally Posted by MasterEvilAce
If they had a defined amount of severance outlined early on, then I side with Microsoft on this one.
They're a business, just like any other. They shouldn't be punished for being successful.
If that's the case, then I'd have to agree; if a specific amount had been specified in writing, then they'd be fully within rights to ask for it back. It definitely comes off as petty and penny-pinching...but you do what you have to do.
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Just saw someone in a fur coat walking a dog. "I love to take care of animals AND wear them!" If only they were holding a burger.
They can, however, be punished for being incompetent in handling employees and severance pay (after all, the employees didn't exactly raid MS and take this money; MS sent it to them), and the subsequent black eye they receive from the public in a time of economic distress, when a company sitting on 30+ billion in cash is asking for a few bucks back from people it shit-canned.
i received something like this from motorola once. i walked out on the joke of a company and they paid me for 2 months more. collection agencies came after me and i laughed. it did take almost 7 years for it to drop off, though. but i never paid....
credit scores are for losers people. don't deposit your money, BURY it..... the banks are next to go down
i received something like this from motorola once. i walked out on the joke of a company and they paid me for 2 months more. collection agencies came after me and i laughed. it did take almost 7 years for it to drop off, though. but i never paid....
credit scores are for losers people. don't deposit your money, BURY it..... the banks are next to go down
So, wait...you walked out on the job(basically) and the continued to pay for because they failed to not only remove you from payroll but also notice that you weren't putting in any hours whatsoever? I'm assuming you were salaried...but still.
I can understand the company wanting their money back, but it's not exactly like you stole it. It was because of someone's ineptitude within the company that you were still getting paid; essentially, it was the company's fault, not yours.
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Just saw someone in a fur coat walking a dog. "I love to take care of animals AND wear them!" If only they were holding a burger.
It all depends on the circumstances if Microsoft stated they would get 6 months severance and accidently paid more then they are entitled by law for you to return the overage. In the same way that if they agreed to 6 and only paid you 3 months you would be entitled to the remainder.
Where I work there have been a couple instances where employees got huge checks because someone keyed in their hourly rate wrong into the system. One of the people cashed the check and never informed the company about. When they found the error they fired the person and did not pay them any money for hours he hadn't been payed or vacation time he had accrued. The ones who went to HR and told them about the error returned the money and got a $50 gift card to a local retailer.
