This comprehensive kit includes a demonstration board that uses the MC9S12NE64 on chip EMAC and EPHY to demonstrate typical MC9S12NE64 applications ...
More than 500 laptops have been handed out to pupils as Renfrewshire Council vows children from low-income families will not be left behind during home schooling.
The council said it is helping more students learn online, will reissue paper learning packs in August and is offering assistance to parents struggling to carry out home schooling as it is awarded funding for the new academic year.
PAISLEY DAILY EXPRESS: Live news as it happens
The £4.5million handed over by the Scottish Government will be used by education chiefs to mitigate the impact of coronavirus on children's learning.
The money is part of the Attainment Challenge Fund and will allow the council to plough cash into schemes that best support children from the area's most deprived households.
It will be shared across all 62 schools in the local authority area.
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The council can also take advantage of a £9million pot designed to get laptops and internet access to children trying to follow tasks and learn online.
The council says it has already dished out 500 Chrome notebooks to youngsters and says paper learning packs will be handed out by schools when they launch a mixture of home and school learning in August.
Schools have also, the local authority says, tried to make sure approaches to home learning are as easy as possible for parents and carers to follow.
Councillor Jim Paterson, convener of the council's education and children's services board, told the Express: "One of our main priorities is to ensure that all children in Renfrewshire receive an education that ensures they fulfil their potential, regardless of their background.
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"Having been the first council to be rated 'excellent' for our work in reducing the poverty-related attainment gap, we know that what we have been doing is working – but we are always looking for new and innovative ways to help our young people thrive.
"This funding will assist us to continue to close the gap, while now providing a specific emphasis on supporting the safety, well-being and resilience of young people as they transition back into schools and early learning and childcare settings following the coronavirus pandemic."
He added: "Children will have access to the appropriate resources to support their learning in all curricular areas such as literacy and numeracy, and our staff will be upskilled to deliver new methods of learning and teaching - with more than 1,000 teachers already having done so.
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"We will continue to deliver health and wellbeing projects such as Place 2 Be, PATHS and Renfrewshire Nurturing Relationships Approach, which provide vital social and emotional support for our children and young people – particularly during these difficult times.
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"I'm looking forward to seeing the impact of this funding in our schools as we continue to provide the best possible education for each and every young person in Renfrewshire."
Lenovo's first 5G-capable PC is ready to ship, with Verizon users able to get it on June 18.
First announced back at CES in January, the $1,400 Flex 5G will hit Verizon stores later this week marking the first time a US carrier is selling a laptop capable of tapping into 5G wireless networks.
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The two-in-one computer features a 14-inch full HD touchscreen display that is capable of 400 nits of brightness, weighs just under three pounds (1.35 kg) and runs Windows 10 off of Qualcomm's 8cx computing platform with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. As with other Lenovo PCs, the Flex 5G can be used as a traditional laptop, or with the screen folded all the way back to become a tablet.
Other specs include a 720p HD webcam with infrared for logging in through Windows Hello, two USB 3.1 Type-C ports as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack. Lenovo claims the PC is capable of getting 24 hours of battery life on a single charge. Bluetooth 5.0 is available, but there's no support for the new Wi-Fi 6 standard.
A one-year subscription to Microsoft 365 Personal, which includes Microsoft Office and 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage, is included with each Flex 5G purchase from either Lenovo.com or Verizon.
The Flex 5G is capable of tapping into the carrier's existing millimeter-wave 5G network that is active in parts of 35 cities around the country. As with other recent Verizon 5G devices, it will also be able to use Verizon's new, wider-ranging low-band 5G network when it goes live later this year.
Beyond needing to be in a city with 5G, those looking to take advantage of the faster connectivity will need to be on Verizon's new 5G Ultra Wideband Connected Device Plan. The plan runs $30 per month for those who already have wireless service through Verizon or $90 per month for those without.
As part of the plan, you'll be able to get unlimited 5G millimeter-wave data, hotspot and 4K streaming on the laptop when in an area that has a millimeter-wave signal (what Verizon calls "ultra wideband").
When on 4G LTE, the plan will offer unlimited 4G LTE data (with 15GB available before the risk of being slowed down in areas of "congestion"), 15GB of 4G LTE hotspot (with unlimited data available thereafter at significantly slower speeds of 600Kbps) and 720p video streaming.
4G LTE-only plans are also available, including an option to add it to your existing plan.
Known internationally as the Yoga 5G, the computer will be sold by other wireless carriers including EE in the UK, Sunrise in Switzerland and CMCC in China later this year.
The leadership of Computer Village, Ikeja, has described as wicked lies from the pit of hell, allegation purporting that the Iyaloja-General of Lagos State, Mrs Folashade Tinubu-Ojo asked it to mobilise N5million daily from the market for her.
It said rather than asking for money, the Iyaloja-General has been spending her personal money to provide for the needs of the ICT market.
Speaking with reporters in Ikeja, the Iyaloja and Babaloja of Computer Village, Mrs Abisola Isokpehi and Mr Adeniyi Olasoji respectively said the media campaign was orchestrated by a handful of disgruntled elements within the market that have vowed to ensure the board constituted and inaugurated by the state government never succeeds.
Mrs. Isokpehi who said the masterminds of the atrocious smear campaign has since gone to apologize to Mrs Tinubu-Ojo, said nobody asked for N1000 daily from the shop owners, adding that the cash was a monthly contribution meant for the clean-up of the market, payment of salaries of day and night security personnel and others such as replacement of batteries and other accessories of the solar powered street lights.
READ ALSO: Lagos to traders: remove your illegal structures
She said Mrs Tinubu-Ojo never asked the leadership for any cash, stressing that the peaceful administration of the market was paramount to her.
The Iyaloja of Computer Village also dispelled the rumor that the market was closed because of breakdown of law and order.
According to her, a certain group of individuals had vowed to frustrate the board in spite of genuine efforts made to reach out to them. She said it was the same group that have embarked on this campaign of calumny designed to smear the reputation of the Iyaloja-General and her illustrious family.
Mrs Isokpehi said: "We are committed to working harmoniously with associations/different tribes in the market to run an all-inclusive administration that will carry everyone along in the progress of the market board to a greater height.
"So, the Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, minority groups and even other non-Nigerians in the market will be part of the committee that will soon be constituted since they have aplogised to the Iyaloja-General."
She said since the board was inaugurated, the Iyaloja-General came only once, adding she brought cash, foods and other relief materials to the market, adding that as a mark of her commitment to peace, she had asked the group to submit the list of those they would want to join the board.
Students have a tough life, their education is expensive, they are under debt even before getting a job. Buying expensive gadgets is not an option for them, but they have to stay up to date as well. Because otherwise they might be left behind compared to the times. In other words, they need the best laptops for college to help them with the assignments.
When we talk about the best laptops for college, we are talking about budget laptops in their categories. These laptops will mostly be used for writing their assignments and taking notes during classes. Watching YouTube tutorials and playing media is also going to be a major thing for students.
Most student tasks do not require a high spec hardware configuration on a laptop. But it can still be a problem for students to know what kind of laptop to pick up. There are many models with different configurations in the market today. That is why we have reviewed some of the best ones for them.
College Laptop Buyer's Guide
Students might not need a high-end device for doing their work, but there are some important specs that they require. It needs to have a somewhat competent processor and enough memory that will run all document making applications. Whether it is a PDF file or a PPT, they need to be able to work on those without problems.
The laptop also must have a good battery life, because college students are on campus most of the time. That makes it very difficult for them to charge their battery often. So battery life of at least 8 hours is a requirement for them. Unless the students are in college and majoring in something like Computer Sciences or Visual Arts, they do not need a GPU.
Some institutes have lab services where college students can work on hardware extensive projects. But for most of their daily activities, like taking notes and studying, a light laptop with basic specs works the best.
We have included a few Chrome Books on our list because they are very popular amongst college students. They have good battery life and can handle light loads without any issues. They are also very cheap so most students can pick one up without burdening their financial situation. Finances are a huge problem for students unless they have a scholarship.
Best Laptops for College Reviewed According to Price and Specs Best OverallAcer Aspire 5 Slim LaptopBest Laptop for Any Student
The Acer Aspire 5 Slim is one of the few laptops that offers you an option between Intel and AMD. What we reviewed was the one with a Ryzen 3 3200U with built-in Vega 3 Graphics. Let us tell you, you will not be disappointed by this laptop's performance. The best part about it is that it's affordable!
Check Price on AmazonRead ReviewsWith built-in graphics and a 3rd Generation Ryzen 3 3200U, you are sure to have no problems running any important programs on this laptop.
So this laptop has a Ryzen 3 3200U, a dual-core mobile CPU that has 4 threads. It has a base clock of 2.6GHz and a boost clock of 3.5GHz along with 3 GPU cores. The Radeon Vega 3 Graphics built-in the CPU will be able to bear light graphical loads.
The multi-thread CPU allows you enough power to multi-task on the laptop easily. So whether you are a student of Visual Arts or Business, this laptop will be able to hand most applications easily.
The CPU has a max TDP of 15W so it is quite an energy-efficient processor. Since it is a U model, it does not have the ability to overclock as these laptops are meant to preserve power. The laptop itself is packed with 4GB of memory and 128GB of SSD for lightning-fast storage.
The laptop also has 1 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Port, 2 USB 2.0 Ports & 1 HDMI Port, making it ideal for student use. It has Wi-Fi 802.11ac so stay connected to the internet throughout the campus grounds that have wireless internet. And a backlit keyboard as well if you are working at night in the dark and sharing a room with a roommate trying to sleep.
Overall we really loved this laptop as it was able to work on most tasks we threw at it. It has a 15.6″ 1920×1080 resolution FHD Widescreen IPS display that gives you a crisp image. With a 7.5-hour average battery life, which is not that great but pretty good, this laptop is super affordable.
You can find it on Amazon under $400 for all these great specs, which we believe to be quite a bargain. Chromebooks can cost you around $250 to $350 with specs not even close to these.
Specification:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200U
Memory: 4-GB DDR4 RAM
GPU: AMD Radeon Vega 3 Graphics
Storage: 128GB SSD
Display: 15.6″ 1920×1080 FHD Display
Battery Life: 7.5 Hours Average Battery Life
OS: Windows 10 with S mode
Best PremiumApple MacBook Air 2020For Students Who Won't Settle for Anything Not Apple
For those who can afford, Apple's MacBook Air is a perfect laptop that is well rounded for most student tasks. While being a premium choice, it has some pretty great specs, not to mention the efficiency of Apple.
Check Price on AmazonRead ReviewsThe newer model of Apple MacBook Air was released in 2020 with almost the same specs as the previous model. You get 10th Generation Intel CPU with Iris Graphics which are way better than the UHD ones in older Intel CPUs.
Apple has always been a very expensive brand, you just cannot deny this fact. However, Apple has some great features, whether it is the iPhone or the MacBook, they function great. In the end you pay the extra bit for the exclusive features and the brand.
If you are a scholarship student and can afford the MacBook Air, then we suggest you go for it. It is a reliable piece of hardware with a 10th Generation Intel Core i3-1000NG4. It has an Intel Iris G4 built-in GPU in the processor that can handle mild graphics tasks.
While the Iris G4 has half the Execution Units and Shader blocks compared to the Iris G7, it has the same clock speeds. But half the units do cut down its graphical prowess by half as well.
The Core i3 has a base clock speed of 1.1GHz and a boost clock of 3.2GHz with 2 cores and 4 threads. With multi-thread support, you can multi-task easily on the MacBook Air without any lags.
You also get 8GB memory along with 256GB Solid State Storage, which you can expand up to 512GB SSD. This makes the MacBook quite a competent laptop and the perfect for students who can afford it.
The 13.3-inch Retina Display gives you a crisp quality image thanks to the True-Tone technology. The new Magic Keyboard by Apple is also a welcome feature for most, it has a travel distance of 1mm.
Lastly, it has great audio and video capabilities, with an HD camera for video calls. The battery life is also large, with an average of 9 hours battery life which can last you the whole duration of your time on the campus.
Specification:
CPU: Intel 10th Generation Core i3-1000NG4 (Core i5 also available for a higher price)
Memory: 8-GB DDR4 RAM (Can be expanded up to 16GB for more money)
GPU: Intel Iris G4 Graphics
Storage: 256GB SSD (512GB SSD option available)
Display: 13.3″ 2560 x 1600 Retina Display
Battery Life: 9 Hours Average Battery Life
OS: macOS
Best BudgetAcer Chromebook 15 CB3When You Are Stuck Under a Budget
This budget Chromebook is a perfect partner for any student who is stuck with a tight budget. Not everyone can afford a $400 dollar laptop, let alone an Apple MacBook Air. But with the budget cap comes huge compromises as well.
Check Price on AmazonRead ReviewsNot everyone gets a scholarship and needs to work part-time to make ends meet. This Chromebook is for such students who need a laptop to work on assignments but cannot afford an expensive one.
So firstly, Chromebooks have do not have high-end specs, that is the reason they are inexpensive. So when it comes to storage, memory, and processing speed, this Chromebook lags behind a lot.
It has an Intel Celeron N3060, a 2 core 2 thread CPU with a base clock of 1.60GHz, and a burst frequency of 2.48GHz. This is not bad, but the 2GB DDR3L will not be able to handle a lot of multitasking. You should only work with light loads on this Chromebook.
So Chromebooks are famous for not having a lot of storage, in this one you only get 16GB eMMC. While it also uses NAND as SSD does, it does not come in large capacities and is slower. But this Chromebook has a good battery life of almost 9-12 hours.
It has a 15.6″ 1366 x 768, LED-backlit ComfyView Display which is not that great but will get the job done for most. Other than that it has Wi-Fi capabilities so you can search the internet for your studies and research, or just watch Netflix.
You can expand the storage with an SD card as well well, so there is that option that you can choose later. The ChromeOS is not as flexible as Windows. Though it has a pretty easy interface so there won't be any trouble there.
For graphics, you have Intel HD Graphics 400, which are the run off the mill graphics and do not support graphical tasks. But you can get all of this in just $300 which is not a bad deal if you are a student.
Specification:
CPU: Intel Celeron Processor N3060
Memory: 2-GB DDR3L RAM
GPU: Intel HD Graphics 400
Storage: 16GB eMMC (Expandable via SD Card)
Display: 15.6″ 1366 x 768 ComfyView Display
Battery Life: 9-12 Hours Average Battery Life
OS: ChromeOS
Best 2-in-1Microsoft Surface Laptop 3Best of Both Worlds
Microsoft brings the best of both worlds with its successor to the Surface Laptop 2 with Surface Laptop 3. This one gives you an option to choose the AMD path with a custom made Ryzen 5 and 7 CPU along with the usual Intel processor.
Check Price on AmazonRead Reviews
The newest laptop by Microsoft is an expensive powerhouse that has become pretty famous in students these days. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 is the first in the line to have an option between Intel and AMD CPU.
You can either get this laptop with a custom made Ryzen 5 or 7 if you choose AMD and an Intel i5 or i7 if you choose team blue. So you better believe that the performance on this laptop is superb, rivaling that of the MacBook Air. That is why you can call this laptop the biggest rival at the same price point as it.
The 15″ 2496 x 1664 HD touch display, which is often used by artists for drawing artwork due to its responsiveness. You can get up to 32GB of RAM, with the base model having 8GB memory. You also get a 128GB of M.2 NVME Solid State Storage for the base model which is expandable up to 1 TB.
For AMD you get Vega Graphics while if you choose Intel you get the Iris Graphics. Either way, it has better GPU performance than most laptops in our list, so you can perform some light GPU intensive tasks on this.
Lastly, this laptop boasts an extraordinary battery life of 12 hours on average, but these numbers are at lower brightness. With bigger workloads and higher brightness you can push at least 7 hours out of the Surface Laptop 3.
Specification:
CPU: Intel 10th Generation i5 and i7 or AMD Ryzen 5 or 7 Surface Edition
Memory: 8-GB DDR4 RAM
GPU: Intel Iris Graphics or AMD Radeon Vega Graphics
Storage: 128GB SSD (Expandable up to 1TB for more money)
Display: 15″ 2496×1664 Touch Display
Battery Life: 7-12 Hours Average Battery Life
OS: Windows 10
Best PortableHP - 14When Light Does the Job
HP brings us a Chromebook, both light and efficient that too for a very reasonable price. In it you can choose either an AMD A4-Series CPU or an Intel one.
Check Price on AmazonRead ReviewsWhen it comes to performance, this laptop can lag a bit behind, but it is light and portable. Also very reasonably priced for its specifications, so students can easily afford it.
The AMD A4-9120C in the HP Chromebook 14 is a dual-core processor with integrated graphics. This allows you to use your laptop without lagging a lot and can playback the media smoothly.
You get 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, which you can expand up to 8GB if you have the money for it, but 4GB is enough for a student's task. This Chromebook also has either a 32GB or 64GB storage depending on your budget.
You get the HP Chromebook 14 has rounded off edges, perfect for storage in student bags. It also has a variety in color from Chalkboard Gray, White, and Ceramic White to go with its stylish look.
Lastly, the HP Chromebook 14 has an HD Webcam and SD card reader, the LED on this thing is an IPS display with a resolution of 1366 x 768.
The bad side of it being portable is subpar battery life, not having such a great display and bad sound.
Specification:
CPU: AMD A4 Series CPU, 8th Generation Intel Core i3, Intel Celeron or Intel Pentium CPU
FAYETTEVILLE -- Xiaoqing "Frank" Liu, head of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville's computer science department, has been named the next engineering dean for Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Liu is set to start July 10, pending trustees approval.
Dale Thompson will lead UA's computer science department on an interim basis pending an internal search to replace Liu, UA spokesman Nick DeMoss said.
Liu joined UA in July 2015. The number of bachelor's degrees given out to students in UA's Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering increased to 132 in 2018-19 from 76 in 2014-15, according to UA data.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson has emphasized computer science education in high schools and for younger students.
Liu said that has helped attract students to UA's computer science programs, which he said increased in enrollment by 30% from 2015.
"The department added multiple faculty positions to accommodate this rapid growth. In addition to the increased number of students joining our Department, many entering students are better prepared in computer science and the number of students who passed the entry-level classes by exams increased over the years," Liu said in an email.
He said the dean position at Southern Illinois is "an excellent professional career advancement opportunity," adding that he "had a great experience" at UA.
UA Engineering Dean John English in a statement said Liu "has been a joy to work with, and I'm grateful for his leadership during a time of rapid growth" for the computer science department.
Masks mandatory on transit buses
FAYETTEVILLE -- Passengers on Razorback Transit buses will be required to wear face coverings beginning Monday.
The date coincides with the first phase of UA's plan for reopening the campus during the ongoing covid-19 pandemic.
As part of efforts to minimize the risk of covid-19 transmission, the plan requires face coverings "for all students, employees and visitors while on campus in public settings and where social-distancing measures are difficult to maintain."
Razorback Transit provides free rides to the general public as well as UA students, and staff and faculty members. Cleaning and disinfecting protocols for transit buses are also part of UA's return-to-campus plan.
The first phase of UA's return-to-campus plan involves having some employees back on campus after working remotely. UA's final phase in its plan has the student body returning to campus in August.
January 28 2019 - Sabrina Ewing works on a laptop during Tamatha Smith's reading horizons class at Kirby High School. A Shelby County Schools plan to address inequities across the district would put a laptop or a similar electronic deviceÊin every student's hands over the next six years.Ê (Photo: Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal, The Commercial Appeal)
Shelby County Schools could supply 95,000 students with tablets and laptops for the upcoming school year, if board members vote Monday to approve the latest digital learning resolution.
The devices are only part of the digital device plan the district is proposing to align with its 'hybrid' approach to school this fall. The latest plan anticipates a total cost of $37 million: though devices account for about a third of those costs, board documents show, the plan will also fund connectivity, tech supports and replacement devices, as well as supports for the teachers who will be on the other side of the screen.
Presently, it's unclear how much learning will take place remotely when August arrives. A re-entry task force has been meeting weekly for the past several weeks to hammer out details of contingency plans.
More: Will Memphis-area schools open in the fall? Here's why that's a 'tough question'
More: What will school look like this fall? Task forces are planning for several scenarios
Leasing the Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard devices would amount to $11.2 million the first year, and nearly $45 million for the four-year agreement. It would provide:
28,300 Microsoft tablets for grades pre-K – 2
42,000 Microsoft laptops for grades 3 - 8
24,700 HP laptops for grades 9 – 12
The current plan doesn't account for the nearly 18,000 students in the district's charter schools, but a presentation accompanying the resolution indicates the district is working on a plan to let those schools opt in to purchases.
SCS plans to put more than half of its funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act toward equipping each student with a device. The remaining funding for the plan will come from "other" and "pending" sources, documents show.
After this start-up year, the present plan would require an additional $24 million annually. The accompanying presentation to the new resolution provides budgetary reallocations and savings that the district indicates would make that possible.
As district leaders and board members have acknowledged, the device is only a tool for learning.
"To be clear, a device is just a device," the new presentation states. "The goal is to craft a strategy intended to enhance learner outcomes. If we provide equity and access to
devices and connectivity, all students have the opportunity to extend their learning day and further own their academic pursuits and progress to ensure every student, with the right tools and teacher support, will reach their greatest potential."
Monday's meeting will be the second attempt to move forward with a digital learning plan. Board members declined to move the plan to a vote after a committee presentation last week, Chalkbeat reported. Many board members reportedly wanted a clearer academic plan and picture of how the devices would aid learning.
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Chalkbeat reported: "Board members acknowledged a decision is needed soon so the district can purchase laptops and hotspots for the fall, but without answers, board member Michelle McKissack said the district would be 'wasting money.'"
The board was scheduled to vote at a meeting Thursday afternoon, but pushed the meeting to Monday at 4:30 p.m. due to connectivity issues caused by a power outage. A circuit outage caused the school board office to lose power for just over two hours, a Memphis Light, Gas and Water spokesperson confirmed.
Earlier this week, the Nashville Metro government announced it planned to purchase 90,000 netbooks and 17,000 mobile internet hot spots for students that belonged to the local district. The Knox County Schools board approved a plan to fund devices for its students in mid-May.
Nationwide, COVID-19 has laid bare the existing inequities in education. Before the pandemic forced school closures, SCS had started an initiative to reach a goal of one device per student. Since school closures, they have issued laptops to some students who needed to complete course recovery, for example.
More: SCS distributes first laptops during COVID-19, readies online plan for entire district
Across Shelby County, just under 60% of households had a broadband subscription, according to Census data from 2014-18. Soon after schools closed, the district surveyed its teachers and families, and heard back from about 60,000, board documents show.
Of those students, 79% had access to technology and 85% had access for online learning.
What the survey doesn't show, though, is whether each household had one device per child, not to mention per any parent still working from home. Providing each child with a device is meant to address those obstacles to education.
More: How'd the first week without classrooms go in Memphis? Principals and teachers are learning too
Laura Testino covers education and children's issues for the Commercial Appeal. Reach her at laura.testino@commercialappeal.com or 901-512-3763. Find her on Twitter: @LDTestino
Read or Share this story: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/education/2020/06/12/scs-could-approve-11-million-each-student-have-laptop-tablet/5342971002/
Uber has offered the nearly 7,000 employees it laid off in May a fair severance package by nearly all accounts.
But the company created a lot of confusion because it initially offered the first crop of mostly hourly workers cut on May 6 a less cushy package than it offered the second group of mostly white-collar workers cut on May 18.
Since Business Insider's inquiries on the discrepancies, Uber has gone back and made the first group's severance package the same as the second's, including a potentially valuable benefit to them concerning their work computer.
However, employees tell us that the work computer benefit has been a major source of confusion as some employees were allowed to keep theirs and others are not.
Uber says all laid off employees not allowed to keep their computer will get an extra $1,000 payment instead.
None of the hourly workers were allowed to keep the computer, and many did not learn about the $1,000 payment until after they signed their initial severance papers.
Some employees say the initial treatment of the hourly, customer support workers is a symptom of a bigger problem.
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
As tech companies slash their headcounts to weather the coronavirus crisis, severance packages are in the spotlight. And a recent dust-up around Uber's severance has exposed a contrast that some say illustrates Silicon Valley's two-tier workforce.
When Uber laid off roughly 7,000 employees in May, it did so in two separate episodes, breaking the news to 3,700 primarily customer support staffers on May 6, and two weeks later cutting 3,000 mainly white-collar workers.
The key parts of the severance packages, particularly with regards to the number of weeks paid out, were nearly the same for both groups, and by all accounts fair and generous. But a discrepancy about one conspicuous detail — what happens to employees' personal computers — has caused confusion and added to the stress in a difficult situation.
As part of the severance package, some Uber employees were allowed to keep their work computers, others were not and were offered $1,000 cash payment instead. Uber's hourly workers however, were initially told to turn their computers in without any mention of payment at all.
In response to Business Insider's inquiries, Uber says that it has now gone back to the employees cut on May 6, including the crop of hourly workers, and promised to pay them $1,000 for the computers they turned in.
But confusion has reigned over this benefit for weeks, even for simple things, like Uber saying it would send employees a box so they could send their computers back. It said it wouldn't write the $1,000 check until after the computer and charger was returned, but as of last week, one month after the layoffs, some employees still hadn't received the return boxes.
A generous package bedeviled by an exasperating computer problem
The decision about the computers is a seemingly small detail in the context of a global pandemic and an economic recession that has wreaked havoc on businesses and employees, including the thousands of laid off Uber workers. But for some of the laid-off hourly workers, the ability to keep a computer is a much more meaningful benefit than it is to a salaried employee like a programmer or a marketing professional, many of whom are likely to already own PCs.
The situation has not been helped by the fact that employees are working at home due to the coronavirus.
After the layoffs, Uber remotely locked an undetermined number of computers, requiring a PIN to open, so those employees have not been able to use the computer at all during this time.
And some employees told Business Insider that instructions on erasing the data on the computers and the deadlines for returning the machines have seemed unnecessarily complex. In some cases, people were sent a final waiver that asked them to either return or wipe their computers by a date which had already passed.
Uber says the difference were due to different types of computers and roles among staffers, with some computers able to be wiped remotely, for instance, and some that were not, so that those computers needed to be physically returned for legal reasons. Uber also says the confusion is because it decided to improve the severance package for the May 6 group of laid off workers after the fact, in order to make it match the benefits offered to the May 18 group. So the company has been issuing revised severance documents.
As for other benefits, all workers received four weeks of "garden leave" pay, four weeks severance, and two weeks for each year worked (with up to 8 weeks total available in this tenure severance pay), as well as health insurance paid until year's end.
Initially, hourly workers and others cut on May 6 who had been employed with Uber less than a year didn't get any tenure severance pay. But Uber has now gone back and granted one week of it to them, so that all employees, no matter their tenure, get at least 10 weeks pay, it says.
We also discovered another thoughtful benefit for the lowest paid, hourly workers known as Community Specialists. Those enrolled in Uber's tuition reimbursement for a bachelors degree at Arizona State University will continue to be granted free courses through the end of the summer. After that time, ASU will offer them a 40% reduction in tuition, one former Uber employee who left before the layoffs, told us.
Computers, bathroom breaks and second-class citizens
While that all sounds like as fair an ending as possible for the laid-off hourly support workers, that initial, lesser severance was a symptom of the second-class status of the lowest-paid workforce, many employees told us.
Uber has about 65 driver support offices known as "Greenlight Hubs" nationwide, as well as a handful of bigger call-center known as Centers of Excellence. People close to the employees who worked at these centers say that they are often run as fiefdoms by the local managers. Employees are subject to the whims of the regional boss.
We've heard stories of nursing mothers not allowed to take extra breaks to pump milk. We've heard talk of employees who feared retaliation if they reported issues to HR, among other stories.
Uber tells us that it has clear policies on worker treatment including how to support new parents and that it encourages employees to report breaches in policy to its anonymous Integrity Helpline.
Yet, former Uber employees point out: managers who have been the subject of such reports remain working at the company while thousand of hourly folks have been laid off.
Are you an Uber insider with insight to share? Contact Julie Bort via email at jbort@businessinsider.com or on encrypted chat app Signal at (970) 430-6112 (no PR inquiries, please). Open DMs on Twitter @Julie188.
Acer Aspire 5 Slim LaptopBest Laptop for Any Student
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