Microsoft knows how to make a bad situation worse

Microsoft recently laid off 1,400 employees after years of faithful service. Such is life in the current economy, some might say. But the software giant showed its usual tin ear for public relations afterward by asking laid off employees to pay back some of their severance check. If an Executive does not put the kibosh on this Monday, it is proof that MS no longer has any interest in having a positive public image.

"An inadvertent administrative error occurred that resulted in an overpayment in severance pay by Microsoft," the letter states. "We ask that you repay the overpayment and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience to you."
A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that the authenticity of a letter posted on TechCrunch, but declined further comment, saying it was "a private matter between the company and the affected people."
The company declined to specify how many of these letters were sent out, and it's unknown how much the overpayments total, but it did indicate that some laid off employees were also undercompensated.