#employeerelations

Chris: “we’ve had another stellar year. Recording breaking. Our strategy is firing on all cylinders.

Merit increases thus year will be 2.5%. Inflation is 6%. Yes, I know that your standard of living decreases every year you stay at TransUnion. But I’m not the chump. You are. Because you stay.

Sorry about that. All these first class airfares to fly around the world for dubious business benefit sure do add up. “

It’s become rather clear what’s happening. The company is deliberately creating a hostile and miserable environment to pressure people into quitting on their own. Between impossible workloads and a culture of constant fear, people are breaking. If you’re feeling this pressure, know that it’s a tactic, and you’re not alone.

Joined BNY as a senior associate full stack developer in the collateral area in February. My recruiter told me bonuses at that level are around 10%. My VP coworker said she gets 10%.

I've seen some posts saying because I got 10 RSUs in November/December that I won't get a cash bonus. Is that true?

Welcome to BNY Mellon, the corporate funhouse where the future is offshored, the present is gaslit, and the past has been quietly escorted out under a PIP engineered by someone who couldn’t explain your job if their bonus depended on it. If you’ve ever wanted to experience a workplace that feels like a psychological thriller written by a committee of auditors with no moral compass, congratulations—you’re already included.

Let’s begin with the crown jewel: the 1.4‑million‑square‑foot Pune facility, a gleaming monument to cost‑cutting and the executive fantasy that geography equals talent. Walk inside and you’ll hear it—the cha‑ching of budget wins echoing like a slot machine that only pays out when a U.S. employee vanishes from the payroll.
Real estate consolidation? Cha‑ching. Offshoring? Cha‑ching. RTO badge‑tracking designed to catch you missing a swipe? Cha‑ching. Eliminating work from home so you can sit in a ghost‑town office lit by flickering fluorescent lights? Cha‑ching.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., seasoned employees are being funneled into the Performance Improvement Program Funhouse—a place where your accomplishments are reinterpreted as “concerning behaviors,” your loyalty becomes “inflexibility,” and your manager suddenly develops selective amnesia about every positive review you’ve ever received. We are told it's business, not personal; it’s “People Optimization.” Or, as everyone else calls it: age discrimination with a corporate mission statement.

Your replacement? Already hired. They’re either a contractor, an H1B, or a freshly minted state college grad whose primary qualification is generating tax incentives. Nothing screams “strategic workforce planning” like swapping a 25‑year veteran for someone new who still puts “proficient in Outlook” on their résumé.

And then there’s leadership—RV and Dermie—delivering explanations so vague they might as well be fortune‑cookie messages. “Secular headwinds.” “Strategic acceleration.” “Industry realignment.” These phrases translate directly to: We cut people because it was cheaper, and we hope you’re too demoralized to question it.
They’re corporate illusionists, pulling rabbits out of hats while quietly sawing the workforce in half, all while congratulating themselves for their “courageous leadership.”
But the real horror isn’t the layoffs—it’s the cultural decay and phony empathy. Not a dramatic collapse, but a daily drip of rot. Policies drafted by people who have never met an employee. Decisions that feel like they were generated by a malfunctioning ethics simulator. And the atmosphere? Imagine a place where hope goes to file a ticket with HR and never returns. You are told to recharge, yet you quickly realize your battery no longer holds a charge.

Employees describe it as a slow‑motion freefall: one day you’re standing on a cliff, the next you’re knee‑deep in gravel wondering when the ground gave out. Every new policy feels like it was written by someone who only vaguely understands what the company does. Every leadership message arrives wrapped in jargon, dipped in legal review, and delivered with the emotional warmth of The Grinch who has no integrity and has lost their soul.

And if you’re wondering where ethical concerns go—well, they don’t go to RV. They simply vanish into corporate legal and a maze of executives who nod solemnly while approving fake performance reviews to support a visa‑driven displacement model. There’s evidence everywhere for those willing to look, but the official stance remains a polished shrug.

The downstream effects are already here: institutional knowledge evaporating, teams hollowing out, and the remaining employees expected to train their replacements while pretending everything is “energizing.” Engagement surveys now function mostly as a cry‑for‑help collection system.

But don’t worry—leadership wants you to feel valued. So check under your seat. If you’re lucky, you might find a BNY keychain in a swag bag. A small token of appreciation for your loyalty, your decades of service, and your willingness to participate in the grand experiment of replacing experience with cost efficiency.

In the end, BNY’s transformation story is simple:
Cut enough people, hide enough truth, and eventually even the spreadsheets start believing the fairy tale.

Happy New Year! Enjoy the feeling while it lasts.

I realize this post only applies to employees who were hired before 2008, because they've changed the way our pension is being calculated going forward. I just got around to looking at my new pension estimate for retirement and it decreased 57%. My pension was the one last thing I've been holding on to; really the only thing that was truly keeping me here. Now seeing my new pension number, knowing that giving 20+ more years would only add a measley amount - I have no reason now. Cheers to a new year and hopefully a new job!

The Working better, together Amplify article has been out for three weeks and has 6 total likes. I wonder if anyone making these decisions takes note of how wildly unpopular the new policies are. Does anyone know who really pushed for this policy? Anybody part of those meetings?

“Sprinkles, the iconic California cupcake company, has announced a ‘winding down’ of operations at its remaining 15 retail locations, blindsiding employees last minute with the not-so-sweet news,” the New York Post reported. “Salty employees got the notice on Dec. 30, saying Sprinkles would start an “orderly wind-down” of the company beginning Dec. 31.”

https://www.thestreet.com/restaurants/crumbl-competitor-shutters-all-stores-with-little-notice

Crazy thing is it didn't used to be this way. In the days of yore when we were all happily remote little worker bees, we were content if not happy. Dell felt like a people-focused organization, at the very least. We were given latitude to do our own thing, expectations were normal and not overly ambitious, and the individual contributors had a certain degree of confidence in leadership.

Sure, Dell had the very-normal corporate issue of constant change, but the change was navigable. Then suddenly, everything began to change and the water began to boil. It started slowly-people being "encouraged" to use the office. The remote activities quietly disappeared. Does anybody remember the May the 4th Zoom AHOD in 2021 where a bunch of leadership dressed up as Star Wars characters? Stuff like that was objectively fun, and made work feel a bit less like work. That sort of fun just up and disappeared to be replaced with increased unreasonable expectations like suddenly everybody had to commute 10 hours a week to sit on zoom calls that they were perfectly content with and capable of sitting on at home.

Then, the layoffs began, as did a constant state of employment anxiety that has persisted to this day. Then we all received a total of 24 business-hours notice that hybrid was going away and we were all full-time onsite, or face the consequences. Except, there were none really. The layoffs continued to be completely random across the board, if anything affecting the in-office folks more than those that persisted with staying remote.

The result? Everybody who is left (and smart) has quiet quite HARD. I'm personally remote, and work maybe 2 hours a day and still get everything done. The rest of my workday is spent at the gym or with my laptop open while I play video games. And my numbers have never been better.

The thing that objectively takes the most of the time out of my day is trying to come up with 5 stupid questions to ask this stupid chat bot we're training to take over our jobs eventually, because if I don't that's the only thing that actually gets me in trouble with leadership. It's not my Teams' status being yellow for 5 hours a day, or my quote output, or my lack of desire to pursue cUlTuRe and CoLlAbOrAtIoN by driving 15 hours per week, it's my lack of desire to justify Dell's stupid investment into incompetent AI tools that add no objective value to anybody.

I know it sounds like hyperbole when you hear about folks talking about "Dell has changed." Though in reality, Dell actually has changed in a lot of ways, and every, single, one of those changes have been for the worse. And they get away with it because we flipped from an employee's market to an employer's market with the post-Covid tech crash in 2022ish that we still haven't recovered from.

It just really su-ks.

This needed a thread of its own. The OP is @ez+1kdne2h4c.

If you are thinking of quitting Xerox wait a couple of weeks, they are announcing new layoffs with enhanced payoffs.

Everything at my location has slowed down so much that tasks which took an hour now take two. To make it worse, the new hires we're getting don't seem to want to learn how things are done. I'm not trying to blame anyone, but I'm curious if this is a general problem across the company or if my store was just unlucky. Is this what it's like everywhere?

I'm part of this middle-aged surplus they've created. I'm too young to retire and too old to feel like I can start over. The future I planned for my family (the security, the college funds, the stability) is gone. I feel like I've completely failed them. I'm honestly feeling like I'm at my lowest right now.

Happy new year everyone hope yall have a successful year getting out of OT and landing an actual job in a better / good company. I would say great but even good is better than OT. I will be interviewing over next two weeks. Good riddance OT. They don't know what's going to it them in next week or so. Good luck OT "leadership" trying to fix this.

In 2026, what companies are letting people go this year? 🥳

Please share whatever news 📰 you have.

Hopefully 2026 will be a better year.

To all of those who are treated like cattle sitting in small stalls all day while the elites sit in their offices with their doors closed…emerging once a day to say hi to the little people while deciding who to layoff off (mainly based on politics) God Bless You.

To all of you who sit in those offices who have never been laid off thinking you’re better than the rest filled with entitlement, arrogance and ignorance for not knowing how your decisions hurt others and the smugness of thinking you’ll never be laid off because you are somehow so invaluable…may 2026 be the year you yourself experiences this for the first time.

A layoff damages and impacts people in ways you can only know if you experience it first hand. It’s your turn.

2026 will be the last year of AT&T employment for many. Make the final weeks count.

I got deposit today on my account , but like half of what I normally get.

I understand 2026 payroll makes it difficult for 26 payments.

I am still confused

I’m putting in my notice Feb 13 after bonus drops. I see there is now a 30-60 day mandatory notice period for most employees, enforced mainly by a clawback provision in recently vested RSRs. Any way I can stop working sooner without incurring that penalty? Up to managers discretion? I can’t work more than much beyond the 13th without splattering my brains onto the front of 550 tryon

Anyone look at their upcoming paystub yet? The way they calculated their fuzzy math on 27 pay periods is they reduced the wage Rate. Is this legal? It’s like we all got a demotion. Unless you survive to 2027 to get the catch up payment. I’ve never seen a company handle things like this before. Usually, they catch you up in the same year and do it in a month that has five Fridays. I’m sorry there is zero way you could make it make sense except that this is a way to leverage our money for their pockets. Completely demotivated to ever go that extra mile again at this company,

“We are continuously evaluating our business operations to ensure alignment with long-term strategic goals,” CRL spokesperson Amy Cianciaruso, said by email Dec. 26. “A key part of that strategy is evaluating our workforce to ensure we have the right people, in the right place, at the right time. We are working with impacted employees to provide the necessary resources to help them through this period."

https://www.lowellsun.com/2025/12/31/140-layoffs-between-two-wilmington-companies/

Now they've graduated to firing people and forcing everybody out without severance by creating a toxic atmosphere that nobody with any options wants to stick around for. Those who were laid off with severance were among the lucky ones, if you ask me.

They are looking at them and writing employees up for non-work related content. No jokes, no whitty banter, nothing personal. Always use your cell to communicate.

We're already covering two or three jobs each. What's the plan? Do they expect the remaining few to do four or five people's work until everyone burns out? What happens then?

I can no longer access the Severance Portal from my personal computer following my last day worked (it worked prior to 12/19). It also won’t let me reset my password. I sent an email to the address I located with no response as of yet. We’re supposed to have access to it for 6 months. Is anyone else who was impacted also experiencing this? If so, any tips on how to get access again?

It's not by choice, trust me. There are a few good reasons why some of us are still here. The job market is tough right now, so it's not as if it's so easy to leave. Having a job, any job, is a big deal. I also appreciate the health benefits because I can't afford to be without medical coverage for a single day. Expecting that people who're not happy here would just up and leave is incredibly naive and not in touch with reality.

Employees describe shock, demotions, and a rapid overhaul following Advent’s $2.5 billion takeover.

“Sapiens was a very family-friendly and pleasant company for many years. CEO Roni Al-Dor was a people person. Employees went through fire and water with him, which is why everyone is so surprised now, and deeply hurt,” says one employee.

https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/r1illfbebg

Wondering how many folks are seeking mental health services for the last 2 years of rolling massive layoffs to now end with performance management to reach the final HC. At least with Pat, there was compassion and empathy with the reorganizations.

At least they had the class to wait until after the holidays.

Do you foresee more mass layoffs? Reduced benefits? Or maybe some positive changes?

Companies are going to avoid large layoff announcements to skirt the WARN Act. The new trend is to target specific employees directly every day with small, bite-size layoffs. It won't be departments anymore, it will be me and you with a number and date already set for us.

Corporations Viewpoint -

Of any employee.

The Bottom Line.

Remember this, always.

Employees are considered an (Expendable) line item due to Cost of Salary, and Benefits.

Corporations Viewpoint -

Of any employee.

The Bottom Line.

Remember this, always.

Employees are considered an (Expendable) line item due to Cost of Salary, and Benefits.

Opened LinkedIn on this Monday morning to find lots of resignation announcements. What’s going on?

Shot in the dark here looking for some help. I left SAP in May 2025 and have been on COBRA administered by Health Equity/Wageworks. When logging on to make my January payment, I was told that SAP has moved to a new COBRA administrator. No notice was given. I have an email out to HR Direct, but I wanted to see if anyone knows who this is so I can speed up the process.

That's my resolution. No more giving more than I'm paid for. I do my hours and that's it. I'm done.

Having a job at DXC where I haven’t gotten a raise in four years effectively means that I’ve been taking a pay cut each year due to inflation, and my work has just been increasing. I can’t think of a single person outside of those at the very top who can be considered “lucky to have a job” here.

The reality is Qualcomm doesn’t treat employees like people. If you get laid off, you’ll be off their radar immediately. If you stick around, you’ll just be expected to work longer, follow every rule, and stay quiet no matter what. Your well-being comes first. Start looking for a new role. Trust me, it’s worth the effort.

Lately, it’s like I’m being pushed out without anyone saying it outright. Whenever I ask questions about a process, I get shut down and told to just figure it out. I’m not given the same time to learn new tasks as others, and when I flagged a coworker for mistreatment, it felt like I was the one in the wrong. Meanwhile, that coworker got promoted the same month after treating me poorly. I put in the work, my performance is strong, but recognition and support seem non-existent. Even small gestures others get, like acknowledgment on anniversaries, completely skip me. I honestly don’t know who to trust. Anyone else dealing with something similar?

A teammate who got laid off in the last round spent weeks helping a new hire learn the job, showing him the ropes, answering questions, in essence, training the person who would take over. And then suddenly, she's gone, without warning. The new hire is now doing her old role. I can’t wrap my head around how companies actually do this.

In case people are wondering why the job market is so employee-unfriendly, with so many people laid off and looking for work, including skilled, high-quality candidates, it’s no wonder employers are lowering requirements and lowballing offers. Something tells me things will get worse before they get better.