Valet Parking at Microsoft
This morning on the King5 TV news there was a story about “Valet Parking at Microsoft” that kept being played every few minutes. Now that’s the morning news, I guess (things played over and over again on a 15 minute loop)… so no surprise there.
What was a bit of a surprise to me, and what irritated me a little bit, was the slant taken by the story.
So, here’s the reality, and I can give this reality without knowing anything more about MS than what I’ve read in the newspapers:
- Microsoft has experienced loads of headcount growth (both FTE and vendor/contingent) on the main campus over the past few years
- Microsoft has done very minimal facilities expansion on the main campus over the past few years
- Microsoft targets a very high facilities utilization for its properties (ie – not a lot of extra space sitting around waiting to be used)
And a second set of realities:
- Microsoft slashed the heck out of some silly on-site expenses a few years ago (ala, no more clean towels for bike commuters) and took a lot of heat for it since it was such a small savings
- Microsoft introduced this MyMicrosoft thing a few weeks back that brings back the towels, and adds a few more pay-as-you-go services like onsite grocery store and dry-cleaning. Pay as you go. Not free.
Ok… so you’re armed with the truth. Nothing too crazy in there. MS people don’t even get free lunch like some of the other tech companies that I won’t name. Just a lack of sufficient office space, clean towels, and pay-as-you-go dry-cleaning/groceries.
Here was the focus of the TV news report:
- Microsoft gives such lavish perks, it’s just unbelievable to the common man
- Look, now they’re even doing valet parking for their employees… (Implication: can’t you just picture the rich MS employee driving up in their convertible Ferrari and flicking the keys over to the hapless valet attendant?)
- Plus they offer towels, dry-cleaning, and groceries for their spoiled, pampered employees.
- What a crazy world this is
Now, to be fair… they did mumble some things nearly under their breath about how the real reason for the valet was because there are not enough parking spaces on campus for several of the buildings due to overcrowding and construction. And they did mention that it’s a huge hassle rather than some great perk. Sort of.
And as long as we’re being fair, let me point out that MS people do get a great deal in general. Great health insurance, exciting projects, etc.
But COME ON! Enough with the MS people are all so rich and pampered bit already. Valet parking is the response to not having enough parking spaces. It seems to me a bit like talking about how lucky those rich, pampered New Yorkers are since they get to have someone park their car for them when they drop their car into the stack-able parking spots in Manhattan. Ah, so lucky.
And, one presumes, the newsmen at King5 pay about the same price for their groceries and dry-cleaning as I do.
