WashTech: Microsoft offshoring writers and editors to Shanghai

[eridani]

Because they speak better English than the current jobholders here? What horseshit!

http://www.unionvoice.org/washtech/join.html?r=qp_DxWFq9AkZE

Microsoft Corp. is offshoring more jobs to China. Writers and editors of the Knowledge Base are being replaced by writers and editors in Shanghai. The first to be laid off were the editorial staff, 10 full time employees of Microsoft. Last January, when Microsoft announced the layoff of 1,400 people, these 10 were among them. Highly skilled, experienced and knowledgeable people that Bill Gates has said can't be found in America anymore. The announcement continued to tell us that eventually 5,000 would be let go, "Victims of the recession."

We have to set the clock back 6 more months to discover the kernel of information that grew into the plan that is being executed. Last summer, in June, Microsoft received a report from an outside firm that described a general dissatisfaction with Knowledge Base. I can't tell you whether the dissatisfaction expressed by consumers was directed at the Knowledge Base itself or the products the articles are written about because I have not seen the report. To my knowledge, the report has not been widely circulated but the findings were announced internally. Microsoft, has interpreted the report's findings in such a way that make it feasible to end all writing and editing of the Knowledge Base by people in this country and utilize resources elsewhere.

Transition began immediately. All Knowledge content was put on hold, and categorized by priority. With that done the entire editorial staff could be let go in the first round of lay-offs in January, without prior notice. A team of vendors, 12 in all, was left in place to finish and publish any articles remaining. The Chinese had taken over writing some articles previously, with Microsoft standards being assured by the editorial staff in correcting English as a second language, avoiding legal complications and other issues. What instructions were the 12 remaining people given when taking over this task? None.

After the surprise news of the release of the editors, no one was available to help or advise. "We just kept doing the job," a member of the team told me. "We were left to figure it out on our own, and there were tasks left undone by the former editors. We couldn't even get a reply to an email asking what to do with them."

The transition of the work to China will be completed by the end of May, and the remaining editorial team will be reduced from 10 people to 2 people at that time. After that, all writing and editing will be done in Shanghai, China at a fraction of the cost.

We can't say that this doesn't matter because we're only talking about 10 people, or 12 people. It isn't the number of people; it's the fact that they are people, families with lives to live, bills to pay and expectations for the future. The monster here is the corporation, all corporations. Made from legal ether and now endowed with the rights and privileges of person-hood. Eternal and omnipotent, they don't have any love except for themselves and money. They no longer have national identities now that they are "Global." They have become the feudal lords and we are the serfs. We can't save any of these jobs because the corporations have written the laws of the land to favor them and detract from ordinary citizens. We can't turn to our government because in-human corporations have bought and paid for it. We can't expect the main stream news sources to report on it because the corporations own them too.

"What hurts one, hurts us all" and we have all been hurt by corporate greed.

[LooseWilly]

1. Do you mean to tell me that...

... Microsoft hasn't always used Chinese to write their documentation?

I feel for the 10, or the 12-2 I guess... since the 2 won't necessarily be from amongst the original 12... but trying to find an answer to a Microsoft issue via their help/documentation has always been useless.

Of course, that does argue for more writers, rather than less... but since when does a multi billion dollar corporation care to make its customer service any more than a token gesture toward its customer base?

I am Jack's Utter Lack of Surprise...