#employeerelations

Smh

I didn’t get that much sleep . I felt sick this morning

But now I feel relieved . No longer having to worry is this the day ?

I’m almost 100% sure more RA’s in February

I was really Angry at Alvind and his Pipmunks but I really don’t care about them now

They have no concern about us.

But back to us whose last day was today I hope you are all well and that there are better opportunities out there

You deserve better

I heard from my manager that we are getting tracked on time in office now? Is that true?

Has anyone heard anything new on if Provider Services (under Kelly B.) is still in the “safe” zone as far as layoffs (or even upcoming changes in general) are concerned? We were told on the last round we were safe, but there was not confidence on how long that would be.

Has anyone ever heard of an employee with less than 7 years at HPE ask to be on the WFR list?

Every time the cuts hit, it feels like they're pulling names out of a hat because skills and performance and dedication never seem to matter in the final call. It turns the whole thing into a layoff lottery, and after watching that play out over and over, it's hard to feel motivated to give everything you've got when it clearly doesn't affect who stays or who gets pushed out.

Genuinely curious to know how its going after cutting down entire members of many important teams.

The more I hear who got riffed the more it seems some locations took a much bigger hit…like Tulsa. Feel sorry for those that work there as they must be wondering what’s next

So one of my close friends is a manager and he showed me what he sees: how many days per week in the office and total hours per day in the office (badge in/out or network connection, he is not sure know how the hours are actually being tracked). Well the report is very real saw it with my own eyes.

Copy Pasta from a different site:

Former HR here - subtle signs your company is preparing for layoffs

I’ve been through 3 rounds of layoffs (twice in HR, once when I was also laid off), and there’s a pattern that emerges before the axe falls. Not trying to create paranoia, but if you’re seeing multiple signs on this list, it might be time to update your resume.

This got long, so I’ve broken it down by timeline and severity. Hopefully this helps someone see what’s coming and prepare accordingly.

EARLY WARNING SIGNS (3-6 months out)

Financial and strategic shifts:

Hiring freeze gets announced, especially if it’s sudden or poorly explained. When companies say “we’re being strategic about growth” out of nowhere, that’s HR-speak for “we’re about to cut costs aggressively.” Pay attention to whether it’s a soft freeze (critical roles only) or hard freeze (literally nobody).

Executives start talking about “efficiency,” “operational excellence,” “doing more with less,” or “rightsizing” in all-hands meetings. Once leadership starts using these phrases repeatedly, start paying attention. They’re preparing employees psychologically for cuts.

The company misses earnings or revenue targets multiple quarters in a row, or leadership keeps revising guidance downward. Public companies especially - check their investor relations page and quarterly calls.

Consultants show up. Specifically McKcKinsey, Bain, Deloitte, or similar firms. They’re not there to make things better for employees - they’re there to identify “redundancies” and provide cover for cuts leadership already wants to make. If you see consultants doing org chart analysis or “efficiency studies,” that’s a massive red flag.

Leadership changes at the top. New CEO, CFO, or COO often means new priorities. New executives frequently want to “make their mark” within the first 100 days, and layoffs are a quick way to cut costs and restructure.

Budget and resource signals:

Training and development budgets disappear. Conference approvals get denied, software licenses don’t get renewed, that certification you wanted gets tabled indefinitely. When companies stop investing in employee development, they’re not planning long-term with current staff.

Discretionary spending freezes. Team outings canceled, holiday parties scaled back or eliminated, small perks disappear. These are the easiest costs to cut first.

Delayed or frozen merit increases and bonuses. If annual raises get “postponed” or bonuses are cut despite decent performance, the company is hoarding cash for something.

Open headcount gets quietly closed. You might not notice a hiring freeze officially, but those three open roles on your team just stop being discussed.

Cultural and messaging changes:

The “we’re a family” messaging intensifies. Ironically, when companies start really pushing the culture stuff hard, it’s often because morale is tanking and they know what’s coming. Authentic culture doesn’t need constant reinforcement.

Town halls become more frequent but less substantive. Leadership is trying to control the narrative and keep people calm, but they’re not actually saying anything meaningful.

Internal communications shift tone. Messages become more formal, more carefully worded, more legal-sounding. This usually means lawyers are reviewing everything.

Real estate and facilities:

Office consolidation starts being discussed. Subleasing space, breaking leases early, or suddenly pushing hybrid/remote work after being office-focused. Real estate is expensive and often the first place companies look to cut.

Facilities staff reductions. If maintenance, security, or reception teams shrink, that’s a leading indicator.

MEDIUM-TERM SIGNS (1-3 months out)

The ones people miss:

Your manager starts acting weird in 1-on-1s. They seem distant, can’t give you clear answers about future projects, or suddenly don’t want to talk about your career development, or they cancel 1-on1s. They often know 4-6 weeks before you do and are terrible at hiding it. Watch for:

Avoiding eye contact

Being vague about Q2/Q3 planning

Not fighting for resources they normally would

Seeming stressed or checked out

Cross-functional projects get canceled or put on hold indefinitely. If that big initiative involving multiple teams suddenly loses steam, it’s often because leadership knows the teams won’t exist soon.

Reorganizations that don’t make sense. When they shuffle reporting structures or combine teams in weird ways, they’re often preparing for consolidation. The reorg is the setup; the layoff is the follow-through.

Senior people start leaving and aren’t replaced. When your VP quietly exits and the role just disappears or gets absorbed, that’s a restructure preview. Execs often see the writing on the wall before layoffs and jump ship.

The “high performer” narrative shifts. Suddenly everyone’s being evaluated more critically, PIPs increase, and the bar for “meeting expectations” gets higher. They’re building paper trails.

HR and administrative signals:

HR schedules random meetings with employees to “check in.” This can be them gauging morale, but it can also be them identifying who might be problems during layoffs (ie, who might sue or cause issues).

Increased focus on documentation. HR suddenly cares a lot about having everything in writing, attendance records are scrutinized, minor policy violations are documented. They’re building files.

Anonymous surveys about “organizational effectiveness” or “role clarity.” They’re identifying redundancies and overlapping responsibilities.

Operational changes:

Vendors get cut or renegotiated aggressively. If the company is trying to save money everywhere, labor costs are next.

Projects shift from innovation to maintenance. All the exciting new work stops, and teams are just keeping lights on. This suggests they don’t believe in long-term investment right now.

Contractors and temps disappear first. This is always the canary in the coal mine. If contractors are let go en masse, full-time employees are usually 4-8 weeks behind.

Financial desperation moves:

The company takes on debt or seeks additional funding under unfavorable terms. This suggests cash flow problems.

Asset sales. Selling off business units, real estate, IP, or other assets to raise cash.

Delayed payments to vendors. If your company is stretching payables or late on bills, they’re struggling with cash.

IMMEDIATE RED FLAGS (2-4 weeks out)

The “oh sh-t” tier:

You or your team suddenly gets asked to document all your processes in detail, create runbooks, or do knowledge transfers “for continuity.” They’re preparing for people to be gone and don’t want institutional knowledge walking out the door.

Managers have mysterious meetings that aren’t on the calendar, or meetings that say “leadership sync” with no agenda. Often they’re being told how to “rank” their teams (stack ranking) or getting trained on how to deliver termination news.

HR blocks calendar time that’s marked private across the entire organization on the same day. That’s layoff day. Usually a Wednesday or Thursday.

Managers seem panicked or are suddenly unavailable. They’re either in planning meetings or mentally preparing for what they have to do.

IT or Security starts asking random questions about access, or you notice permissions audits. They’re preparing to revoke access quickly.

Conference rooms get blocked all day with “private” meetings. Those are the termination meetings.

The parking lot has way more cars than usual early in the morning on a random day. Leadership arrives early to prepare and coordinate.

The final 48 hours:

Executives all happen to be “in the office” on the same day when they’re usually remote or traveling. They want to show their faces and deliver messages in person.

Your manager asks for a “quick sync” with no context, or you get a calendar invite for early morning with just “meeting.” That’s often the termination conversation.

You notice coworkers disappearing into conference rooms and not coming back, or leaving with boxes. If it’s happening, it’s happening to multiple people today.

Email access starts acting weird, VPN connections drop, or badge access to certain areas stops working. IT is already starting to shut you down.

WHAT TO DO - ACTION PLAN

Preparation phase (as soon as you see early signs)

Update LinkedIn immediately. Make sure your profile is complete and compelling. Turn on “open to work” privately so recruiters can see it but your company can’t.

Refresh your resume and tailor it for your target roles. Have multiple versions ready for different job types. Get it reviewed by someone who knows your industry.

Document your accomplishments with metrics. Revenue generated, costs saved, projects delivered, teams built. Save this somewhere personal, not company equipment.

Save important files legally. Performance reviews, reference letters, samples of your work (that aren’t confidential), documentation of your achievements. Email them to your personal account or save to personal cloud storage. Do NOT take confidential company information, client data, or proprietary code.

Screenshot or save your LinkedIn recommendations and endorsements. Sometimes people leave and delete their profiles.

Reconnect with your network NOW while you’re employed. It’s easier to get coffee as a “catch up” than as a desperate job seeker. Reach out to old colleagues, mentors, recruiters you’ve worked with.

Financial preparation:

Build emergency fund if possible. Even an extra month of expenses helps.

Understand your benefits. Know your PTO balance, how severance works at your company (if there’s a standard package), what COBRA costs, when your stock vests, and what happens to your 401k.

Reduce expenses where you can. Not to panic level, but maybe hold off on big purchases.

Check if you have any loans against 401k or obligations tied to employment. Some companies require repayment upon termination.

Legal and administrative:

Keep records of everything. If you suspect you’re being targeted unfairly (discrimination, retaliation), document it meticulously with dates and witnesses.

Check your employment contract for non-compete, non-solicitation, and IP assignment clauses. Know what you signed.

Mental preparation:

This is not about your worth. Layoffs are business decisions, usually driven by executive mistakes or market conditions. Even top performers get cut.

Have a plan for how you’ll spend day one after a layoff. Whether it’s updating your resume, going for a run, or calling a friend, having a plan helps you not spiral.

Tell your partner or trusted person what might be coming. Don’t suffer alone or let it blindside your household.

If/when it happens:

Don’t sign anything immediately. You usually have time to review severance agreements. Consider having an employment lawyer review it, especially if it includes non-compete or release clauses.

Negotiate if possible. Severance, extended healthcare, references, job search support, equity vesting. The worst they can say is no, and many companies have wiggle room.

File for unemployment immediately. Even if you get severance, you might be eligible. Don’t leave money on the table.

Ask for a neutral reference or letter of recommendation before you leave. Much easier to get this on day one than six months later.

Understand what’s happening to your benefits. COBRA deadlines, life insurance conversion options, FSA/HSA balances.

Get contact info for colleagues you want to stay in touch with. Once you lose email access, it’s hard to reconnect.

Job search strategy:

Take a day or two to process emotionally. You don’t have to start applying immediately.

Quality over quantity. Targeted applications with customized materials beat spray-and-pray.

Use your network first. Most jobs are filled through referrals. Let people know you’re looking.

Consider contract or freelance work to bridge gaps. It keeps money coming in and shows you stayed active.

Be honest in interviews about the layoff. “Company went through restructuring” or “position was eliminated due to budget cuts” is fine. Most interviewers get it, especially if layoffs were public.

WHAT NOT TO DO

Don’t panic or make it obvious you’re job hunting. Don’t print your resume on the company printer, don’t take recruiting calls at your desk, don’t update LinkedIn with “OPEN TO WORK” publicly while still employed.

Don’t badmouth the company publicly. Even if you’re furious, keep it professional. The industry is smaller than you think.

Don’t stop doing your job. Keep performing until the end. You want good references and you never know what might change.

Don’t burn bridges with your manager. Even if they’re delivering bad news, they’re probably just doing what they were told. Stay professional.

Don’t take things that aren’t yours. Seriously, don’t steal company property, access data you shouldn’t, or do anything that could give them cause for termination instead of layoff. You want that severance and unemployment eligibility.

AFTERMATH - IF YOU SURVIVE THE CUT

Survivor’s guilt is real. It’s okay to feel relieved and also sad for colleagues who were let go.

Your workload is about to increase dramatically. Set boundaries early and document what’s not getting done. Don’t try to do three people’s jobs.

Start looking anyway. Companies that do one round of layoffs often do more. Plus, the culture and workload might not be sustainable.

Support your laid-off colleagues. Write recommendations, make introductions, be a reference. What goes around comes around.

over 2000 jobs gone in India. Many of the teams were keeping the lights on after the wider cuts and now those teams are slashed. I know some will have malice regarding those employees, but they are humans and deserve sympathy like the 13k already gone from other areas. Lets hope nothing bad happens in the near future as recovery will be next to impossible and the market knows it.

https://www.trendforce.com/news/2025/11/26/news-beyond-ex-vp-lo-intel-is-reportedly-poaching-tsmc-arizona-engineers-with-20-30-higher-salaries/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

This must feel terrible for the ones recently let go due to ERP or layoffs.

Can't they wait for the holidays to be over

My entire team was cut after more than a decade with the company, and the way it was handled was brutal. I watched teammates vanish from slack one by one before anyone bothered to contact me. The call did not come until late in the afternoon, after hours of waiting and wondering. I envy those teams that got the news all at once, I wish that was us. The whole experience was a rough reminder of how little control we have during these decisions.

I was in a 2 months non-working notice, and my last day was October 28. I read previous posts and some indicated they had received their prorated bonus on final paycheck. My last paycheck did not have any bonus. Any suggestions on how to escalate this with the HR? My former manager is non responsive. Thanks!

So, now that the limitations have been lifted, now that we've started minting money, would it be possible for the execs to stop playing games with us and just pay severance pay for the roles they no longer need? They may as well stop to overwork us, make us work insane hours, play games and give us fake write ups just to make us quit. Sooo.... Pay severance and let's part ways.

Something I’ve found deeply unprofessional is leaders openly discussing possible layoffs and the decline of Target culture with a hint of glee. As if they perhaps enjoyed spreading bad news to encourage lower level employees to flee the sinking ship as they could hop onto the nearest lifeboat. My leaders have openly discussed Target’s problems while maintaining their careers for over a decade. One has to wonder if it’s become a strategy to keep their precious little corporate roles.

All to say: if you are worried, stay the course. Don’t leave without your paycheck and a cushion to plan your next step. Target is not the end all be all of anything. Having watched a man get the saddest multiple decade anniversary acknowledgement “party” followed by a layoff the next week… you won’t be missing out on much if you’re fighting over the last life preserver.

For the corporate people, has anyone else not received any communication from their manager/hr after the day they were laid off? I feel like HR should have hosted a Q&A or something. I am still doing tasks but it’s mostly crickets from upper management. I am still charging time to the project as I have not been told otherwise. I have also not been told to handover to others what I have been working on.

After 15 years at Verizon leading AI initiatives, I was swept up in the latest RIF which was ironic, given that one of my current projects was highlighted in Dan’s recent AI pitch.

I began transitioning responsibilities to a senior colleague, only to be told today that I should now train a new hire in India. Same title as mine, brought on last week, fresh out of a 2021 graduation, yet his resume reads like he mentored Sam Altman. Apparently, “worked exclusively with US companies in India” is the new definition of deep experience.

When I asked my Sr. Director for clarity, the response was : “This is out of my hands. More org and budget changes coming soon.”
Translation: brace yourself, the outsourcing wave is just beginning.

Let’s be clear, Verizon isn’t cutting costs by hiring “cheap labor.” as I see some oblivious people saying, these contracts start at $40 an hour and can climb past $60, often padded with fantasy resumes. The difference is they’re remote, from small towns where overhead is low, while Verizon keeps cashing in here in the US.

So don’t fall for the AI fairy tales or the “Verizon values” slogans. The reality is simple:We U.S. employees are being replaced, while our politicians & news outlets are busy with nonsense and the greedy companies keeps pocketing the profits.

I noticed that some of the people who were laid off ended up with different end dates, and I'm confused about how that works or what the reason behind it might be.

Procrastinators of layoff doom, here is a record of totals for Ford employees.

I will post the link again when the 2025 numbers are updated.

Let see how correct the predictors of large layoffs for 2025 actually were.

https://stockanalysis.com/stocks/f/employees/

I thought this guy Dan was about customer and employee first experience. Looks like my experience so far is sh-t. Makes me miss Hans

So ridiculous, toxic environment, years of dei hires with no experience, culture is like working at a buss terminal. HR & Labor Relations work together to sc--w you and make this job uncomfortable. Im still here for now but good luck to those laid off. Besides the paycheck what did you really accomplish.

PL here. If you are a legacy Schwab employee you need to know that you are getting sc--wed badly on your bonus. Your TDA colleagues (that are peers to you) have a much higher bonus percentage (5%+ more). When Schwab switched all legacy blue employees to the percentage based scale a few years back, they maintained status quo with whatever your bonus amount was at the time. The green employees who were already on a percentage based bonus at TDA got to keep their percentage level which means that ALL of them are getting more bonus than their peers on the blue side. Schwab should feel embarrassed and ashamed that they allowed a disgusting discrepancy like this to occur, but NOTHING has been done to correct it for years now. Take this for what it's worth, but Schwab really does not care about you.

Dead yet? Wondering how long the leadership can rest and vest doing nothing but errands for Uncle Hock. Lord knows nothing engineering related could have happened after I left the funhouse of mirrors that is bcom.

Anyone know what the criteria was to determine the automatic lists of people eligible for promotions this year?

I read that when Schwab wants you to quit they start write ups and the compliance team starts questioning your every move even if you are doing nothing wrong.

Eventually Schwab sits you down and asks you to resign or else they mark your licenses.

This feels like blackmail, how should one navigate through this situation and how should one answer probing questions from compliance and management?

Can someone please break it down for me the main differences between the 1st wave and the 2nd wave? It sounds like the 2nd wave has a longer transition period until April 1st while the 1st wave only had 30 days? Just trying to be mentally prepared for what the 3rd wave would look like. Thank you all for your inputs. This forum has been more helpful and informational than any leader(s) could be.

Who got there bonuses and cut and ran?

Anyone out there know how bad the layoffs will be on 12/18? Which locations?

CPC is this week, what is the drama from any who are attending?

it seems the actual CEO is absent from the EC committee, and she seems to only be present as a cheerleader, and absent from any meaningful actual leadership. Does the board make all the seemingly confusing decisions? is it made in a vacuum by Mason or Gibson? I'm genuinely confused as a a newer employee here...

Management supposedly just wants to see how long it takes employees to work a case, however, there are 35 (YES THIRTY-FIVE) different task codes to choose from, including lunch/breaks AND Other, in which a comment is required. Looks like every single minute of our day has to be accounted for. I am so done with this place! Not like we aren’t doing our work, just certain times of the month are busier than others but we always get our work done.

An email came out today stating that all Tampa employees will now require to go to the office 3 days per week (instead of 2 days) starting on January 20, 2026. I guess they want more people to leave on their own.

Is it true?

There is so much racism, hate and bigotry here. Can we stop this?

This forum used to be a source of (relevant) rumors, information and mutual support. It was great. Let us go back to this. Do not let trolls and id--ts ruin it.