Microsoft has an intimate relationship with government entities around the world. That much is already quite clear through mainstream media reports. What isn’t largely known is that Microsoft is pushing its latest political and social agenda at break-neck speeds.
Despite very impressive profits during an economic downturn, Microsoft is strengthening their push to eliminate their middle class workers. Some of their most competitive and profitable workers are being promoted to significantly higher paying jobs while everyone else is either laid off or forced to become a “vendor.”
Vendors are essentially temporary workers with no end date. Despite working 40 or more hours per week, they do not qualify for any form of sick days, vacation days, or insurance. Vendors are not Microsoft employees but they are issued security ID badges so that they can enter Microsoft buildings and perform work on campus. Most vendors are also issued Microsoft laptops and other necessary hardware to do their assigned job. To be absolutely clear, vendors are exactly like full time Microsoft employees in all of the ways which benefit Microsoft but in none of the ways which benefit the workers.
I had a dream of working for a major, well known company like Microsoft in high school and college. I was ecstatic when I actually got accepted as a vendor in a “temp to hire” position. I thought I had my foot in the door. For the longest time I failed to realize that it wasn’t my foot in the door, it was my neck. They had me right where they wanted me and they were squeezing with all of their corporate might. I was expected to remain a “temp” indefinitely, by design.
In this writer’s opinion, as a Microsoft vendor, this type of workforce model is only slightly better than that of sweatshop labor camps often reported overseas. This is, however, happening right here in the United States of America. All of this is done with the blessing of United States lawmakers. The government actually seems to be enormously proud of Microsoft for holding this type of employment model together so successfully.
Additional Reading:
The Microsoft Vendor Program
Published: April 25, 2003 Updated: July 30, 2008
http://www.microsoft.com/about/companyinformation/procurement/msvendor/default.mspx
Microsoft vendors and contingent workers total more than 79,000, on top of direct employees
Published: March 3, 2009 6:01 PM
Benjamin J. Romano, The Seattle Times
http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/techtracks/2009/03/03/its_widely_known_that_microsoft.html
