#encouragement

Sorry that were all here again trying to figure out how these decisions are being made. Ive been here 20+ years, worked for a lot of leaders at the top (some currently still there) and without giving out too many details -- unfortunately this is far too common in the tech industry. My peers and I have survived some major ones since 2015-- (some were impacted, relo'd, VSP, Rif'd --lots of great talent that was lost in the last decade) This happens pretty routine with some being larger when we changed leaders/strategy since the days of Lowell McCadams... Anyways, I've had a couple of discussions with several groups and take this comment as an educated guess (some claim they heard this from some decision makers) and if it helps you predict your outcome so that you can decide on next steps, then great-- but also remember that at this point-- all those decisions have already been made so "try" not to let this consume you (I know much easier said than done!) but just trust that you can't change that outcome so hopefully you can make peace with whatever happens from now until Thursday. That being said here's what I've heard

1. If you were asked to work from home this week -- you may be impacted -- this makes sense as to try and not have a huge emotionally charged situation happen in office on Thursday-- it may impact you or your overall group

2. Band 5 and up were suppose to be notified today, Band 6 (ADs) notified tomorrow, and the rest on Thursday --- Seems that some people are notified today so this seems to be likely as well

3. There will be guidance on who is rif'd to prevent law suits. It wont be random or get rid of x people, it most likely will be based on the following - Anyone on a performance PIP or write up, anyone tagged as "home based" and not near an office location (may be department specific) --- Everyone knows that theres a push for minimum 3 days in the office and BAU prior to covid... so if you moved, or aren't near an office then they may offer you the choice to move but with the interest rate etc. this option may not be likely for most-- *again this make sense just based on the direction of employees being hybrid or in office preferred. Not to say no departments/jobs can work from home, but that being the norm will change to the exception --FYI this is 14,500 emps alone across the enterprise (I have the exact number but don't need more people poking around how I know that!)

4. no Brainer- redundancy will be eliminated-- And for consumer it will start with the Sales leaders hierarchy-- This is not new folks, it will mean Indirect/Retail Market leaders will be consolidated starting on the sales side (heard this went from 6 to 4 today, but I haven't confirmed and someone from CSO told me this, but haven't checked so if someone can verify here thanks)----> which means DMs/managers,reps, store closures or plans to convert those to indirect, then their support teams will be consolidated which are field ops, field enablement, training, merch, HR, talent acquisition etc) and marketing groups that got beefed up again will get consolidated **more on this on #5, but this is also not a new way to make these decisions so it overall makes sense. When Krista left and Market leaders were stood up-- they just followed suit generally to the prior markets -- but we had a larger hierarch of AREA and consolidating it from 6-4 MPs make sense to do the same task with less people and just spread the out more.

5.) this one is a little bit more specific/niche to department/job function that's tied to the consolidating of Sales MPs --- this is general educated guess so it may be completely off-- but there's always been a move to group Retail and Indirect together in one umbrella-- which started even back in the days when Kevin was here before he came back. -- SO again not a new way to "consolidate" this means that strategy and operations needs to align-- which typically means Finance supports enterprise budget/data and these are your aggregated info/data folks (some consolidation may happen here also) but generally they don't support a particularly niche but support enterprise-- so everyone uses their info since thats what the leaders get, then you get the folks below them that take their info and break it down to dashboards and data, analysis for leaders tasked with managing people's performance/KPI and metrics -- these are probably your GTS folks, developers that get a jira, data scientist, data visualization, business intelligence roles (think MeTREX, tableau dashboards etc), groups managing resources that are EDW based, GCP developers etc-- (again may get touched but depends if theres overlap and redundancies---- )
But then theres other "rouge" reporting/strategy groups that do similar roles/functions but are either niche, or specific to a group--- back in the days, this would be your region reporting folks not in a finance umbrella or reporting folks that are with non/reporting titles and are in none data groups--- Making the choice on how to consolidate this will probably entail more than general guidance-- (back then it was streamlining titles, departments, or number of employees a manager has etc.) but if you're supporting more of a niche- then it may not align with overall strategy so you may also be impacted. This is probably the most vague--- but if you think Finance is the law with the numbers, then there are groups that support that that under that umbrella-- the further you get away from finance and move into supporting data/ops specific to a leader then this is most likely unnecessary redundancy--- (formatting colors, creating specific market reports etc) <<--- again this is speculation but in the past has been pretty common way to reduce headcount. Yes, a leader may want the report to look this way, and they dont want to go to 2 dashboards to get what's being consolidated for them, but this is now a nice to have and not a necessity

6.) lastly, this might be the main/first wave ,but most likely once the dust settles there will be further refinement in 2026--- Q1 to determine what is redundant or no longer needed. This could also be when they take salary into consideration (which would be terrible since I'm at the upper end of my band) but from what I heard Salary at this point may not be the main criteria but may be used later since most likely it's not just related to "bodies" being reduced, but savings in overall cost.

That being said-- feel free to chime in if you heard similar things... Having gone through so many of these and lost countless talented coworkers (most went to FAANG companies or other major tech ones!) one thing about Verizon-- if you've been here long enough-- then you are most likely highly skilled, trained and able to transfer those skills to multiple industries so if you are impacted-- I'm hopeful that your experience will be appreciated in other industries and you will eventually land somewhere. But it doesn't get any easier-- there's some really amazing talented folks that are always impacted by this and survivors remorse is also very real. A lot of us in 2015, even though we made it, still felt a heavy burden seeing our friends/co-workers be impacted. I know this isn't saying much-- but having personally worked with Kevin (and NO I am not a Kevin stand) from what I know he is a good guy and I don't think at least for him at his level this decision is easy and I also know some of the people that work under him and the ones I do know, in the past this has weighed heavily on them. I don't have much of an opinion on Dan but whats right for the investors may not always be great for the work culture but it's something thats gotta be done and for better or worse it happens in all tech industries-- so if this is not something you want to be in year after year maybe use your severance to decide what you want for yourself career wise next time --

Good luck everyone and hopefully I will see some of you on the other side of this!

Good luck and best wishes to all of us!
The worst thing at the worst time of the year!
Shame on you Board and Dan! Had the board been stronger and not rubber stamping all of Hans’ hires and ideas - we may not be in this mess.

I know most will think I’m a troll or lying but for those looking for legit advice, here it is. I have been here over 20 years, seen so much change and been impacted multiple times involuntary. It hit me hard, I was kicked to the curb but lucky to find a new role within to stay. I know more about how all this works internally than most of you unfortunately(how we’re notified, off pay, insurance, tax, etc). I wish I didn’t. Then, the first VSP came, I didn’t even look at the offer. The second, I looked but didn’t take it. This got my butt in gear so I didn’t get caught flat footed. While I knew I was staying, I took the last few years learning a new skill, a trade so I would be ready to move on one day. I would actually like to stay here. I have a great team and a great boss. I am lucky. But this week might be that time for me, who knows. This is my advice. If you are fortunate enough to make it through this, don’t sell yourself short and think it’s done. This is the beginning. Take it as an opportunity to learn something new that you see as the future of work. You’ll only sell yourself short if you do nothing AND survive this week.

I have knowledge that in the midst of 200 stores being converted you will see the r2b space dissolved. I was in discussion that split compensation is a waste of money and that with the stores going indirect the biz customers who come in store will be directly called from a inside sales rep when they sign in, and converted with in store pickup. B2B space is safe and CE. Wish you R2B REPS LUCK!

Good luck.

This site has been great therapy for me. It’s so hard not to be bitter about the situation, our leaders, and all of the uncertainty. Verizon & all the great people here have given me so much over the last 15 yrs. I’ve had the time of my life, hoped it would last, but nothing is forever. I hope it ends well for all of us, but I will tell you that many of the best outcomes in my career came from situations I never planned and never had a say in. Best of luck to all of you!

May the odds be forever in your favor.

Times are tough. Changes are coming so fast we can barely keep track. Don’t be discouraged. It is so easy to stay in that mindset. Everyone has moments or seasons, but there is a way through and we will band together to find it. Within TRP or somewhere else. The journey is often difficult, but we will find our new normal, adapt, and flourish. Bad leaders will be exposed eventually. Bad business process too. Unfortunately at the expense of great people sometimes, but that is just the nature of business at this level and in this climate. Care for each other. Check in on one another. The greatest assets are the people, and when we look around at each other, there are far more good apples than bad.

As many of you wait to hear your fate tomorrow this message actually goes to everyone. I was impacted by a previous layoff at Target.

If you do get bad news tomorrow, just know that you will survive this, and it will be but a blip on your life radar.

My ask to each of you, regardless of whether you’re still employed, is that you should never assume the company you work for is your friend or has any loyalty towards you. All companies are concerned about their bottom line and bottom line. Any of them would fire whomever they need to if they think it will make them a dollar more.

Employees are simply “headcounts”/numbers.

You are paid on payday for the period of time worked. At that point, each of you agree as to whether there will be another pay period. Either of you can decline and the agreement is over.

Live within your means and do not give your employer power over your well-being.

There has been some chatter that layoffs might be Mon/Tues/Wed next week given the sheer size of the layoffs so just remember this does not define you nor is this your fault. Sending positive vibes and thoughts to everyone.

I know there are a lot of people at target who have worked there many years, and perhaps even their whole career since college.

I don’t know how I’ll be impacted next week but I am new enough to target to know this sh-t happens and it su-ks for a while and can be tough to find your footing. But, there really is good stuff waiting for you outside of the company. I know there is for me if I am part of the group that goes.

I left a really good, fulfilling job when I was recruited to target and I’ve just been kind of observing things crumble around me since I joined 2.5 years ago at a fairly consistent clip basically since day one. That’s been hard and disillusioning.

And, it’s hard not to get caught up thinking catastrophically. For me, it’s easy to spiral over the shitstorm of this administration and the utter callousness of our national leadership. It makes me worry about the economy and the fact that people are not okay right now. It’s easy to spiral over what AI means for the future of work and the fact that CEOs and rich fu--s the world over will stop at nothing to disrupt people’s lives in the name of profit.

I try to remember that the pendulum will swing back on politics. It’ll be painful in the meantime but it’ll shift. And the future of work will look differently. I’m not sure what that will mean for me or my future children or grandchildren. But I try to remain hopeful when reminded that recent human history has gone through a number of these sea-changes, and we persist.

Target is a company that makes money from making a bunch of sh-t we don’t even need. It’s good to have a job and we don’t deserve this. I’m glad I have a job at Target, but a job is a job, and there is truly more to life and other ways to make a livelihood.

Don’t let Target’s bullsh-t and the fact that a bunch of overpaid, unseasoned, remarkably average corporate losers made a consistent series of poor decisions over multiple quarters define you or your worth.

Happy to see one of my colleague who was pmts in visa in US, returned to his home as a D. It’s a hope that even you lose something to gain something better.
All the best for job seekers.
O is not your destination. It’s just a stone in your career path.

For the souls who have been mistreated, misaligned, belittled, humiliated, discriminated against, unfairly laid off, and/or had their confidence rocked by this sham of a company, please know you worth are so much more and capable of so much more. Please do not let the selfish, misguided decisions of this business affect your sense of self worth or purpose. You are amazing and if the ‘leaders’ of this company choose not to see that, then that’s on them. Hang in there everyone and focus on your own self care and integrity. This misery will pass.

Exited last August via layoff with VSP. I often return to this board to see what’s happening. Hearing rumors of Oct 23 reminds me why I am so glad to be gone. 20 years in and glad for my gracious exit over a year ago. Bounced right into a new career I love and banked the entire enhanced severance. For those wishing you could go, maybe the 23rd will be the exit you don’t realize you need. Good luck everyone.

Exited last August via layoff with VSP. I often return to this board to see what’s happening. Hearing rumors of Oct 23 reminds me why I am so glad to be gone. 20 years in and glad for my gracious exit over a year ago. Bounced right into a new career I love and banked the entire enhanced severance. For those wishing you could go, maybe the 23rd will be the exit you don’t realize you need. Good luck everyone.

Every single day I hear of more people from corporate that are leaving the company. Primarily Planning positions. I am certainly not overlooking this. Think there will be a ton within the next 2 months. All the commuters will be done the first of the year too. Good luck to everyone

I was impacted and reading everyone’s threads has been both reassuring and sad. Thank you to everyone for sharing openly and honestly— when work culture suffers from toxic leadership and snuffs our ability to have actual community and honest conversation about the company we work(ed) for, we came here— I’m glad for that. I also am not using “toxic leadership” to score a hit— it’s a real construct with indicators and impact. Reading about it might help you put more objective (sorry for this term) language to what you’re experiencing.

If you’re still at Gartner, I do not envy you. I would prefer to still be working there rather than be unemployed, but I also can’t imagine what it was like/is like to be making calls and selling people on a place you can no longer trust. That would be hard.

My advice to those currently recruiting would be to not trust internal communications about Gartner performance. Remember that it benefits them to make you believe we are doing well. This makes us more effective sellers. I was an effective seller, and I am left feeling guilty for selling people on a lie- I put them in a position to experience what I have just gone through.

Trust what you are seeing with stock prices and quiet layoffs, and make a plan for if things change quickly. I had no plan, and I am paying for it now- the best I can do now is to suggest it to others.

If you’re a well-intentioned leader and you’re reading this, please know that I (and others) understand that you passed down the information you were given, which was the misleading “Gartner is doing great” speak that was all but smashed over our heads in the Q2 town hall. The best you can do is to not repeat this kind of speech to your teams: it leads to us being unprepared. We also get enough of it already through the carefully crafted corporate comms that reassure us we are a great company at all times. You don’t have to add your voice if you know there’s risk ahead for your people.

I will never get to speak to those who intentionally misled people who make 5% of their salary. Those most senior leaders manufactured security through talk tracks and inside Gartner emails that assured us of growth and opportunity, while designing layoffs in private. They do not know you and do not care about you. They will end your healthcare at midnight and give you four weeks of severance, all while telling you “when we do the right thing, great results will follow.”

Be very cautious, whether you’re still there or not. Have a plan. I am still most grateful for the people who did work ethically and without acting like Gartner gave a damn beyond the bottom line.

I really don’t get all the drama. This whole “market-based culture” thing has honestly been the best setup ever.

I’m up at 6, roll into the office, grab a coffee, and spend the first hour catching up on news and personal emails. Calls run till about noon, then it’s lunch somewhere good — Plano or the Dallas Design District, depending on the vibe.

After that? Head home early, knock out some errands or business stuff, and call it a day.

The trick is simple: do what’s in your job description — nothing more, nothing less. Follow every rule to the letter, badge in, badge out, put in your six hours, and keep it moving.

Worst case, they lay you off — and you get to take the next six months off to find your next move.. Tell me another Fortune 50 gig that easy.

I’m not sure whether it’s just Houston or all locations. Houston has a lot more to process than other locations so it could go either way at other locations. My recommendation is to start cleaning your laptop of any personal stuff, take personal things home now through the next few weeks, and then you’re prepared on Nov 10th regardless of what happens. Even if it happens in the office at your location, you probably don’t want to be walking down the hall with a box of your things for all to see. Where’s the dignity in that? For those that are told to WFH, the typical process is to mail you a pre-labeled box that you can use to ship your laptop and any other company property back to the company. There’s obviously no cost to you because the box is already labeled for prepaid shipping by the company. Everyone agrees that this whole thing is a difficult process, and for some a devastating one. Everyone I’ve spoken to is stressed out and very uncomfortable with what’s coming. Nonetheless, everyone will get through it one way or another. Life will go on and those who lose their jobs (unwillingly) will find new opportunities to begin the next chapter of their lives. Life does not end with one’s job. Remember that getting laid off in this round isn’t necessarily a reflection of your performance or value. This is such a large layoff that many good people that perform well will be dismissed. But, life will go on and those that are laid off will find the next opportunity in the next chapter of their lives.

Bumping this up for visibility. OP: @b4+1k6qj76jc

Be Kind to yourselves, layoffs are not a business decision, but a failure of executive leadership. You all are awesome, stay that way!

The walls are crashing down around you. The future of a stable, well paying job, in a great city, is over. The vision of a lucrative nest egg is challenged. Your sense of identity and worth is compromised. Your doubts are setting in.

But remember.. you will be okay. You are blessed to live in a great country with free healthcare, and decent safety nets. This is a hole you will climb out of. You are worth it! And you will go on to do amazing things. Just different things and ones you can’t comprehend or envision at this time.

Maintain your physical and mental health and stay strong! The best is yet to come.

For those of you going through Wave 2:

It’s been just over two months since I escaped, and even though I wasn’t expecting this outcome, I don’t miss it.

It took a few weeks, but I haven’t felt this good in years.

The more I look back, the more I realise how utterly dysfunctional and toxic Chevron is as an organization. Like a cult that’s more damaging the longer you stay, but that tries to manipulate you into not wanting to leave.

Sure, there were some good people and good times to be had, but also, some absolute trash tier people - many of whom have been hand selected to stay on like the good little impressionable cult leaders are they.

If you feel worried or nervous or anxious about what’s next - remember, you’re not alone. I was there before you, and not only have I survived, but I have thrived.

I wish everyone the best of luck for what comes next.

No more late-night calls, no more corporate drama, no more waiting for the next restructuring email. The circus goes on without me and I don’t miss it one bit. I do feel for my former coworkers who - as I can see it from posts here - still have to go through that cr-p on daily basis. There's light at the end of the tunnel, folks. And it's really bright without Dell in your life.

Exactly one year ago today, I, along with many others was informed about our LRs. It was a surreal and chaotic day. People were pulled into abrupt call with leadership, only to hear a cold, unapologetic monologue. No closure. No empathy. Just a hard stop.
That moment marked the beginning of one of the most challenging phases of my life. Self-doubt crept in, overshadowing every achievement I had worked so hard for. It felt like the ground had shifted beneath me.
But here’s the truth, it wasn’t the end. With God's grace, relentless effort, and the support of those who stood by me, I can proudly say I’m in a much better place today personally and professionally.
To anyone who’s recently been LR’ed, this is not the end of your story. It’s a painful chapter, yes, but also a powerful turning point. Believe that better things await, as long as you're willing to explore, learn, and grow.

Keep exploring. Keep believing. Never give up.
Cheers to resilience, reinvention, and rising stronger.

Not just medical, dental, vision but everything else as well. Who knows when you will be let go so might as well milk them for every penny you can. Go request training courses, go spend the $500 we get per year on "health equipment" or whatever tf its called. Go buy $500 worth of random gym equipment, submit a receipt for reimbursement, then go return it all and get your money back... Now you have a nice free $500 check from Dell!

Go get a procedure done that you want - insurance may cover part of it. I got lasik and about 1/4th was covered by insurance.

As for training courses, go find the super pricey ones and have dell pay for it. Doesn't matter if you pass the exam or not but the knowledge and material you get from it is irreplaceable. IE... SANS courses which are about 10k per course. You get like 7 books, downloadable course material and Mp3 audios of the course.

idk what other benefits we have but those are the main ones I can think of. Point is, milk em dry for what you can. Tired of going into the office? Make something up and talk to your manager; then have a medical exemption filed that frees you to WFH for 3-6 months. Dell legally cannot ask for medical documents if your med exemption is under 12 months... btw.