https://www.businessinsider.com/low-performer-label-meta-microsoft-layoffs-impact-recruiters-experts-2025-1
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Kevin Turner entered the scene with his trade mark barber shop quartet choppers, and sold to Microsoft that MS should always manage out the lower 10% every year no matter how big or small the team maybe. It’d be a good thing as when they’d leave, they’d still use MS product anyway and thus more widely spread out the propagation of the tech and it assures MS has only the cream of the crop. This coming from a guy who I’m sure had to have a constant tutorial on how to use the later operating system. Much akin to a used car salesman, telling surgeons how they need to do what they do.
At MS the difference between a low performer and non-low performer can be miniscule.
Microsoft has a billion performance metric any of which they pick to be the determining indicator that they want. Things that I witnessed. Naturally I’ll not divulge names and will paraphrase.
You, Bob, closed three less cases than the average for the year, this makes you the low performer.
You, Sue, took on average 42 min longer to accomplish “x” tasks than others.
A low performer at Microsoft is stellar compared to everyone outside of MS but the stigma of being let go with that label is impossible to overcome as Microsoft deemed you “not worthy” of working with their products. If Microsoft had any sense of class and style, the’d give you a choice.
“Bob, Sue, you have fallen into the category of low performer. Your choices are as such, voluntarily leave on your own or be managed out as a low performer for the reason of your dismissal.”