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Tag: Kurt Delbene

  • US Government Snapping Up Laid-Off Tech Workers

    US Government Snapping Up Laid-Off Tech Workers

    The US government is proving to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the tech industry’s mass layoffs.

    The tech industry has laid off tens of thousands of workers in recent months following significant miscalculations about the state of the post-pandemic economy. Despite the downturn, the federal government is seeing an opportunity, finally able to compete with Big Tech’s recruitment.

    According to CNBC, Kurt DelBene, chief information officer at the US Department of Veterans Affairs, is one such individual that is looking to hire laid-off tech workers. The CIO, who previously spent 30 years at Microsoft, wants software engineers and designers who can “really sink their teeth into designing and redesigning new systems” as the VA accelerates its digital transformation.

    “It’s one thing to build productivity software for individuals,” DelBene said. “It’s quite another to think about how your systems deliver healthcare benefits to veterans who have so selflessly given of themselves to defend our country.”

    DelBene isn’t the only one who sees an opportunity.

    “This is an opportunity for those industries, that have traditionally lagged behind in digital transformation and cybersecurity, to hire talent at a level they may not have been able to before when the tech industry was gobbling them up,” Simone Petrella, CEO of CyberVista, told CNBC.

  • Microsoft Extends Remote Work Till July 2021

    Microsoft Extends Remote Work Till July 2021

    Microsoft has once again pushed back its timetable for returning to the office, saying remote work will continue till July 2021 at the earliest.

    Like most companies, and especially those in the tech industry, Microsoft sent its employees home as the coronavirus swept the globe. As many other companies did, Microsoft has been moving its return-to-office date back as the situation has developed.

    Most recently, Microsoft planned on re-opening offices in January of 2021 but, according to ZDNet, the company has now pushed that back to July. Leadership informed employees in an October 21 email:

    “Returning to the worksite remains optional until we get to Stage 6. This stage represents a time when COVID-19 is no longer a significant burden on a country/region and most health and safety restrictions at our worksites are removed,” according to Microsoft’s Kurt Delbene, Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy, Core Services Engineering and Operations, the author of the latest email.

    While some employees are already working onsite to some extent, Microsoft “strongly encouraged” all employees whose job permits to continue working remotely.