Employees at Microsoft should have something to celebrate. Steve Ballmer has said that the employees are going to get raises! Ballmer says "Today we’re announcing changes that will benefit our employees by sharpening the clarity of our performance review process and increasing compensation. These changes represent the most significant investment in overall compensation we have ever made.". Sounds great! Details have not yet been finalized and no further comment on how much the increased compensation would be, but it still is a great step in this economy.

Employees currently receive a stock award, and some of that award will be converted to cash instead. Microsoft’s stock has changed little over the past 10 years, something that investors and employees have been grumbling about.

The company is also changing its performance review system, so employees will be ranked by a single rating system of 1-5, rather than having multiple ratings for different measures.

Ballmer wrote that Microsoft is making the changes to stay competitive in the job market: "The changes we’re rolling out today will help ensure Microsoft continues to be the place that top talent comes to change the world."