tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post113833700166741349..comments2024-03-18T12:52:48.117-07:00Comments on Mini-Microsoft: Lisa Brummel on Channel9 - She Reads Mini?Who da'Punkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1142206810782852022006-03-12T15:40:00.000-08:002006-03-12T15:40:00.000-08:00Well I'm glad that Lisa Brummel is listening. The ...Well I'm glad that Lisa Brummel is listening. The situation has gotten bad at Microsoft, and the whole review system is just plain broken. <BR/><BR/>While I agree that there are alot of people that need to go, those are often the ones who avoid dismissal. The review process has become entirely political. <BR/><BR/>I've seen a lot of comments in this blog by current Microsofties who have the opinion that "those who were let go deserved it, and the review system is getting rid of bad wood like it's supposed to."<BR/><BR/>That couldn't be further from the truth. I saw people that who year after year escaped dismissal while top performers left the company. And fair reviews based on performance? How is that a director who has never met me adds comments to my performance review? How is that I can deliver 200% of my goal, along with unsolicited letters of praise from a VP and PUM in the product group I served, and get a 2.5 score?<BR/><BR/>I'll tell you the answer. That happens when a director tells a manager "I don't care what you think. I don't like him, so manage him out." On the next annual review I was straight up 4.0 material, having the same kind of unsoliced praise from collegues and customers, and blew all my goals out of the water. But this time I was only awarded a 3.0. Why? My manager's manager (director) came right out and said that a 4.0 after a 2.5 triggers HR to look at what happened. HR's assumption is that only one of those scores can be correct. So I got a 3.0 in order that my director not have to answer embarrassing questions. <BR/><BR/>Microsoft's performance system in no way assures the compnay that it will keep and promote the best. It has become a broken political tool by which both good and bad employees are ousted, and in the end Microsoft loses. <BR/><BR/>In the end you reap what you sew, and Microsoft is sewing a lot of bad will.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139609977887886892006-02-10T14:19:00.000-08:002006-02-10T14:19:00.000-08:00Hi. I'm a vendor who's about to make the transiti...Hi. I'm a vendor who's about to make the transition to FTE. I've been a vendor with MS for around 3 years, and I have to say that while there are issues that I've seen, it wasn't any better than the now-defunct Big 6 I used to work for, or a couple large insurance conglomerates I worked for. But I don't want to get into a p*ssing match. I'm looking for some honest opinions/feedback on what it's like on the other side. I've been in the business for ~15 years - so I'm not a rookie. I'm not completely bowled over with the L60 designation, but I'm really excited about the opportunity in front of me. Be as blunt/honest/direct as you like - I just want to get the skinny.<BR/><BR/>BTW - I love this blog. Keep up the good work, mini!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139555835134959312006-02-09T23:17:00.000-08:002006-02-09T23:17:00.000-08:00Cries to make the place smaller, rid us of the ine...Cries to make the place smaller, rid us of the ineffective! - It's been mentioned here before but the comments and pro/con votes keep growing at www.officeballot.com Perhaps leadership will take notice of who isn't cutting it. Yeah it's random data and loud bitching by some but it's interesting to see how people will vent when they presume it's anonymous (interesting that there is no real about us info on that site and the whois record points to a register by proxy service - Maybe Lisa Brummel set up a honeypot?)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139530045646023312006-02-09T16:07:00.000-08:002006-02-09T16:07:00.000-08:00http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060209/microsoft_headquart...http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060209/microsoft_headquarters.html?.v=6<BR/><BR/>(MSFT to spend $1B to further expand campus)<BR/><BR/>Translation: Damn the icebergs and lay on more coal and ballast, the SS MSFT refuses to adjust course despite increasingly obvious signs of problems or even outright failures. This company is done. All that's left is the inevitable Business School debate on what the final straw was. Ballmer's giving them lots of options there - an overhiring binge, ridiculous beauracracy, an overpaid and largely ineefective management elite, miserable execution (i.e. Vista, MBS, Search), failed new investments (take your pick here from MSN through MBS), failure to adapt to leaner/meaner competitors, etc, etc? Pathetic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139410416429560952006-02-08T06:53:00.000-08:002006-02-08T06:53:00.000-08:00I agree 100% that the longer you stay in the compa...<I> I agree 100% that the longer you stay in the company the bigger penality you pay. That is one of the reason I left Microsoft couple of months ago. I was hiring fresh college graduates making more money that some of my folks who were in the company for 3 or more years. I had a L60 employee(3 year at MS) making $6K less than someone I hired from college at L59. Then the thing that really blew me away was when one of my peers who left the company 2 years ago, rejoined MS and came up 2 levels higher. I know when he left MS in 2003, he was L61, and now he comes back at L64, and I was stuck at L62, and fighting hard to make it to L63. So that revolving door really works. </I><BR/><BR/>You are so right!!! I have faced this too. I had to struggle it out to get a decent pay hike and I had this other friend of mine who joined from another company who was offered much more. I am happy for my friend but the fact that I stayed in the company and worked hard for it wasnt really good for me. Is this how MSFT should reward people?<BR/> <BR/>BTW I didnt quite beleive earlier that a L59 could get more than a L60. Now I know why one of my other friends hired at L59 fresh out of college into the very same team made about $10k more than I did at L60. :-(<BR/><BR/>Whats the point in getting 4.0s if finally you feel cheated so badly!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139233805492067042006-02-06T05:50:00.000-08:002006-02-06T05:50:00.000-08:00People in HR have to know not to cross the street ...People in HR have to know not to cross the street when the little orange hand shows up without consulting an attorney.<BR/><BR/>They also have to know enough of the law not to create too much work for the legal department when it comes to how they treat employees alone or in concert with managers.<BR/><BR/>-----------------<BR/><BR/>So essentially, all you need is a bunch of secretaries. Anyone can read and follow rules.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139195364563648552006-02-05T19:09:00.000-08:002006-02-05T19:09:00.000-08:00L62 is a partner level? Seriously?Um, NO. 68+ is p...<I>L62 is a partner level? Seriously?</I><BR/><BR/>Um, NO. 68+ is partner level. Also, to clear up any misconceptions on salary, 68 is the "normal" range above 67, not some magic inflection point (i.e. midpoint is roughly 10-20% higher). The stock awards are larger, but tied to customer satisfaction more closely.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139162206839916822006-02-05T09:56:00.000-08:002006-02-05T09:56:00.000-08:00Levels 57 and 58 are not even salary anymore, they...<I>Levels 57 and 58 are not even salary anymore, they are hourly. People at those levels were pushed out a couple reviews ago.</I><BR/><BR/>Not true. Office still has FTE STEs @ 58. Possibly 57, too, but that's unlikely - they would have to have been hired in 2002 at entry-level and not been promoted since then.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139138163234212682006-02-05T03:16:00.000-08:002006-02-05T03:16:00.000-08:00Quote: While it is true that a life can not be rep...Quote: <I>While it is true that a life can not be replaces and no compensation is really adequate, it is also true that while we live our life we take significant risks to it.</I><BR/><BR/>All I was really saying was that a Seattle cop has to deal with road traffic accidents and murder scenes, where there are dead people lieing around and distraught relatives to deal with.<BR/><BR/>To be honest, I ythink even COSD is pretty tame, compared to that :)!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139118250762311902006-02-04T21:44:00.000-08:002006-02-04T21:44:00.000-08:00Any thread regarding HR is a waste of space. HR's...Any thread regarding HR is a waste of space. HR's only role is to serve as a prism for Executive Management - enter Lisa Brummel and the magical tour. Brummel scoured Mini's blog and has picked off the top 5 points of contention. Patriotic employees view it as a good effort. Anyone with a brain will call it what it is - crisis management. Microsoft's history has been punctuated by 'listening events'. Not the least of which is the MIX this March. What Microsoft Execs really listen for is: 1. the stock ticker (a rising stock price creates malleable easy-to-control employees) and 2. New ideas. Use em if you own em, steal and re-develop them if you don’t. The rest is carping and complaining – and only so much of that will be tolerated from anyone. Take note.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139112889317215562006-02-04T20:14:00.000-08:002006-02-04T20:14:00.000-08:00> I just hope MS figures out how to reward its old...> I just hope MS figures out how to reward its old timers better(not those partners, but people who dont make it to the partner levels, like L62 - L65) <BR/><BR/>L62 is a partner level? Seriously?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139091871381312692006-02-04T14:24:00.000-08:002006-02-04T14:24:00.000-08:00"Dude, you've got me worried... How many Microsoft..."Dude, you've got me worried... How many Microsoft employees got shot dead last year? Can you compensate people for the risk of getting shot dead? How much is adequate?"<BR/><BR/>While it is true that a life can not be replaces and no compensation is really adequate, it is also true that while we live our life we take significant risks to it. Not all people die because of old age at 100 plus. Many people die from accidents (life is no fun without travel), heart attacks (partially increased risk due to the enjoyment of eating tastier food) etc. Many people are willing to take somekind of risk for a compansation. Why? More money could make the life easier and more fun.<BR/><BR/>So it is not also fair to justify any kind of homongous salary due to the risk on life. I am not saying $150K with $80K is a high or low compensation but I am saying that one could argue that it is a high compensation. It is not a fair argument to say that any compensation is good becuase of increased risk to life. By that logic we could give millions of dollars salary to each risk taker. What happens then? WA state goverment won't have money for other life saving programs and hence the risk to life would increase somewhere. So there is a balance between risk to life and physical resource (i.e., money), and you could argue that $150K salary with $80K compensation is not the righ balance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139090687124452742006-02-04T14:04:00.000-08:002006-02-04T14:04:00.000-08:00Reads Mini-Microsoft and Wears Shorts Sounds famil...<I>Reads Mini-Microsoft and Wears Shorts </I><BR/><BR/>Sounds familar.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139088206991525712006-02-04T13:23:00.000-08:002006-02-04T13:23:00.000-08:00Quote: How many Seattle cops get shot dead each ye...Quote: <I>How many Seattle cops get shot dead each year? one or none. Getting paid $150K (with pension at$80K) more than cover for any risk</I><BR/><BR/>Dude, you've got me worried... How many Microsoft employees got shot dead last year? Can you compensate people for the risk of getting shot dead? How much is adequate?<BR/><BR/>BTW, In writing your answer, can you factor in the point that some dweeboid from the Office Division has already suggested that Mini be shot, for doing what he's doing?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139087671214971312006-02-04T13:14:00.000-08:002006-02-04T13:14:00.000-08:00Hey Mini - I hope this isn't off topic but I didn'...Hey Mini - I hope this isn't off topic but I didn't know how to contact you directly. I was recently hired by MSFT and start in six weeks. What advice do you or your readers have for me? I'm a business type, not a coder.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139057604911638572006-02-04T04:53:00.000-08:002006-02-04T04:53:00.000-08:00However, I will say MSFT doesn't have any HR peopl...However, I will say MSFT doesn't have any HR people that have demonstrated anything other than following the company line, statements, and agendas.<BR/>---<BR/><BR/>What are you saying? HR like EU should go after employees of MS and figure ways to sue the company? You are on top of yourself. <BR/><BR/>HR managers shouldnt be leveled at more than L59. HR doesnt take responsibility for any action blaming the "manager" or the "consultant". You show the IQ to come up with one initiative that makes money for the company then you are worth more 70K/year. <BR/><BR/>We already have a very large, unresponsive and largely disfunctional HR org. You are like the communists in some sense. You need to justify your existence not based on facts but with random unillustrative points.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139022777816091772006-02-03T19:12:00.000-08:002006-02-03T19:12:00.000-08:00>>Here, you're lucky if you can find a condo in po...>>Here, you're lucky if you can find a condo in poor condition in a poor location for $200,000. Houses are out of the question, unless you want to spend 3 hours a day in your car commuting.<BR/><BR/>wateva. cry me a river. <BR/><BR/>in silicon valley, a starter condo is $490,000. sure we get paid a little bit more, but we also have a state income tax, an equal sales tax, and more taxes because this is taxifornia. you redmond folks have it easy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138998464007908392006-02-03T12:27:00.000-08:002006-02-03T12:27:00.000-08:00They are setting HRIT up to be screwed over using ...<I>They are setting HRIT up to be screwed over using unshipped technology under the guise that we all do the right thing and get some dogfooding in. Plus just limiting the amount of time we spend with them to help them set up a new system for the entire company to use.</I><BR/><BR/>A new IT system will protect you from that kind of devious behavior. Yeah right!<BR/><BR/>Are these devious people in management?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138998176445357732006-02-03T12:22:00.000-08:002006-02-03T12:22:00.000-08:00True, that is why you have a legal department. Tha...<I>True, that is why you have a legal department. That is.... if they are not too busy fighting antitrust lawsuits.</I><BR/><BR/>People in HR have to know not to cross the street when the little orange hand shows up without consulting an attorney.<BR/><BR/>They also have to know enough of the law not to create too much work for the legal department when it comes to how they treat employees alone or in concert with managers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138997933502827522006-02-03T12:18:00.000-08:002006-02-03T12:18:00.000-08:00And, from what I see day-by-day, there are plenty ...<I>And, from what I see day-by-day, there are plenty of people sticking out their foot to encumber progress here.</I><BR/><BR/>Not everyone thinks what you perceive as progress is actually progress.<BR/><BR/>People voicing their opinions seems to really bother you.<BR/><BR/>Free speech seems to annoy Microsoft.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps you would like to hear it from someone you don't consider to be one to stick their foot out.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/2006/01/03/microsoft-takes-down-chinese-blogger-my-opinions-on-that/" REL="nofollow">Microsoft takes down Chinese blogger (my opinions on that)</A><BR/><BR/>Then again, plenty of other people seem to find Microsoft's stance of free speech objectionable.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/02/AR2006020201519.html" REL="nofollow">Lawmakers slam U.S. firms aiding China cyber-cops</A><BR/><BR/><I>Freedom of speech advocates condemned Microsoft in December after it pulled the blog, or Web log, of a critic of the Chinese government after getting a government order to do so.</I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138996013814261932006-02-03T11:46:00.000-08:002006-02-03T11:46:00.000-08:00These tools are around getting away from of a curv...<I>These tools are around getting away from of a curve-based peer relative compensation system and focused on being able to reward for individual excellence.<BR/><BR/>Is this endeavor still a waste of time now? Or do you disagree with what LisaB has been saying and you are not expecting any actions?</I><BR/><BR/>Who decides what information is entered into these "tools"?<BR/><BR/>Who decides what employees get to work on? Managers.<BR/><BR/>If you work on an idea without their permission, they put something bad on your review about not getting management's permission to use company resources (ie. you).<BR/><BR/>If you present them with the idea and they really like it, they may take it away from you and give it to one of their friends to implement. Reread this Blog. There are several examples of that mentioned.<BR/><BR/><BR/>The employees managers don't like they load up with other people's bugs from previous releases so they don't get to show any individual excellence that would result in any significant rewards.<BR/><BR/>An IT system is not going to make anything more fair if the people entering the information are not fair.<BR/><BR/>You seem to be missing the point.<BR/><BR/>As far as LisaB goes, what people say and what people do often are not the same thing.<BR/><BR/>Having a shiny new IT system doesn't mean anything if she lets managers abuse the system. <BR/><BR/>From what I've seen, HR lets them do whatever they want.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138985603072669972006-02-03T08:53:00.000-08:002006-02-03T08:53:00.000-08:00>Do you work on these HR IT systems and you are ju...>Do you work on these HR IT systems and you are just trying to get them put into use whether they are needed or not so it looks good on your review?<BR/><BR/>Some HR people dont want to use tools. It is like China - you control information and then control the people. HR group wants to control VPs this way to increase its headcount.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138984761073550052006-02-03T08:39:00.000-08:002006-02-03T08:39:00.000-08:00Do you work on these HR IT systems and you are jus...<B>Do you work on these HR IT systems and you are just trying to get them put into use whether they are needed or not so it looks good on your review?</B><BR/><BR/>I forgot about the cynical nature here. My bad. No, I don't work in HRIT.<BR/><BR/>These tools are around getting away from of a curve-based peer relative compensation system and focused on being able to reward for individual excellence.<BR/><BR/>Is this endeavor still a waste of time now? Or do you disagree with what LisaB has been saying and you are not expecting any actions?<BR/><BR/>If you guys have been giving high marks to all her talk, you have to expect some kind of forms and tools around it to be rolled out. And, from what I see day-by-day, there are plenty of people sticking out their foot to encumber progress here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138979951780930052006-02-03T07:19:00.000-08:002006-02-03T07:19:00.000-08:00Your argument is that LisaB is the most qualified ...Your argument is that LisaB is the most qualified to run HR because HR is not that difficult?<BR/><BR/>Employment law is complex.<BR/><BR/>-----<BR/><BR/>True, that is why you have a legal department. That is.... if they are not too busy fighting antitrust lawsuits.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138962438264801562006-02-03T02:27:00.000-08:002006-02-03T02:27:00.000-08:00Imagine what happens when we use Redmond based HR ...Imagine what happens when we use Redmond based HR people for acquisitions of companies that have significant foreign presence. The lack of understanding of foreign labor laws and the resulting legal implications make all of our acquisitions much more expensive and painful than they need to be. While the Lisa B stuff sounds "nice" and maybe playes well in her Redmond based rah rah sessions, the reality of being on the other end of an MS acquisition couldn't be any farther from this fantasyland.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com