Caught in the Microsoft layoff?
Don't sign anything yet.
On July 6, Microsoft cut 4,800 roles across Xbox, sales, and consulting — in Washington (605 jobs, separating September 4) and across the country. Wherever you sit, you likely have weeks, not months, to make decisions that affect your severance, your equity, your commissions, and your rights. Know what you're signing first.
Get my free severance reviewWHY TIMING MATTERS
Four clocks are already running.
Days to consider
In a group layoff, workers 40 and older typically get 45 days to review the severance agreement before signing. The clock usually starts the day you receive it.
Days to revoke
Even after signing, age-40+ releases come with a 7-day revocation window. If you signed under pressure, you may not be locked in yet.
Days' WARN notice
Federal law generally requires 60 days' advance notice for mass layoffs. The Washington filing lists September 4 separations — shortfalls can mean back pay.
Days for visa holders
On an H-1B or similar visa, your grace period starts at separation — and your agreement's dates interact with it. Timing is everything.
THE FREE REVIEW
What we check before you sign
Release scope
Exactly which claims you're giving up — and which ones a release can't lawfully cover.
OWBPA compliance
Group layoffs require specific disclosures (decisional unit, ages, selection criteria). Defects can make a release unenforceable — that's leverage.
Equity and RSUs
Vesting stops at separation. If your next vest date falls just after your last day, your separation date may be worth negotiating.
Commissions and bonuses
In sales or consulting? Earned commissions and incentive pay may be wages you're owed regardless of what the release says — state wage laws often protect them.
Restrictive covenants
Noncompete and customer non-solicit terms that follow you into your next role — several states, including Washington and California, sharply limit them.
WARN compliance
Whether you received the full notice federal and state law require. Shortfalls can mean up to 60 days of pay and benefits.
Visa timelines
On an H-1B or similar visa, your grace period starts at separation — your agreement's dates and terms interact with it.
Benefits and unemployment
How severance interacts with your state's unemployment benefits, COBRA timing, and bonus eligibility.
Most people sign whatever they're handed.You don't have to.
Common questions
Yes. The severance review is free and carries no obligation. If it surfaces a potential claim and you want representation, any engagement — including fees — is a separate written agreement you choose to sign, or not.
Blueshoe is not affiliated with Microsoft Corporation. “Microsoft” is used solely to identify the layoff event described in public WARN filings and news reports.
Deadlines described above are general summaries of federal law (WARN Act, ADEA/OWBPA) and may not reflect your situation. This page is attorney advertising and general information, not legal advice; submitting a form does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Blueshoe Legal Services PLLC attorneys are licensed in Arizona. Matters governed by other states' laws, including Washington, are handled in association with locally licensed co-counsel.