#layoffs

Sycamore Partners doesn't care about you. This is only the beginning, and will only get worse. Sycamore Partners bought Staples in 2017. You should check out their layoff page if you want to see what kind of stress and uncertainty is going to continue for you. It's disheartening and seriously not worth it. Best wishes to you all.

It’s painful to watch how SAP continues to generate massive profits from the North American region, yet when layoffs happen, NA employees are the first ones targeted. The organization expects returns from NA but doesn’t reinvest in the region by protecting jobs or creating opportunities. Instead, the only real job security seems to exist in Europe and lower-cost countries, purely because of cost advantages.

This double standard feels like hypocrisy. Many high-performing employees across the US and Canada have been intentionally targeted. Several German managers have knowingly set NA employees up for failure, only to replace them later with far less experienced individuals in Europe people who often lack the maturity or capability to handle the complexity of the roles they’ve inherited.
What’s even more disheartening is the lack of empathy displayed by certain HR manager (who shouldn't be managers) in Europe. Many of leader's got downgraded their role to 2-3 times lower but still talk as if they own SAP. Don't have little to no shame to resign and leave the company. They deliver polished speeches during town halls about ‘family’ and ‘support,’ but the moment real, difficult questions are asked, they become defensive, vindictive, and punitive. Employees who speak up are often singled out and slowly pushed out through a toxic environment.

There is a clear pattern of favoritism, retaliation, and deeply unethical behavior happening across the HR space. These actions are not only damaging careers they are eroding trust, culture, and the very integrity the company claims to stand for.

The recent round of Amazon corporate layoffs isn’t a sign of an imminent AI apocalypse. It's an expression of the company's brutal corporate culture, enabled by its use of the H-1B visa program.

https://jacobin.com/2025/11/amazon-layoffs-artificial-intelligence-h-1b-visa

We all know more layoffs are coming, it's the new norm. Any thoughts on what could be targeted next?

The massive cuts and all the cheerful announcements haven’t helped the stock much.

It’s disheartening to see the direction SAP is heading. Having been part of this company for so long, it’s painful to witness the current layoffs and the uncertainty many colleagues are facing. At the same time, I’ve learned that HRBPs from across the globe are flying to Germany for a week-long in-person meeting which could easily cost around 200k$
In moments like these, it’s fair to question whether such travel is truly necessary. Could these costs have supported a few more roles or extended employment for impacted staff? Many of us on the engineering side feel the weight of these decisions deeply we continue to build and innovate while wondering. We engineers are building the company and the HR and the support functions are enjoying it. Does board leaders have become so week to not even as these questions to HR Leader and the CFO who is making these hasty decisions
I hope leadership reflects on these choices with transparency, empathy, and financial prudence. Strong, people-first decision-making is more important now than ever.
Do the board leaders have become so week to not even as these questions to HR Leader and the CFO who is making these hasty decisions?
SAP has become #AntiImmigrant #AntiEmployee

Used to be that if you got a job here, you were set. You could actually plan a future, take pride in the work. Now it’s all about cost cuts. They’ve traded loyalty for churn, and it shows.

There has been talk about even more cuts coming early next year, but nobody seems to know if it is real. People keep trading bits of speculation and it puts everyone on edge. I am keeping my head down and waiting to see what leadership says. It is tough concentrating on work with that hanging over us.

Companies that offshore jobs should be taxed heavily. It’s essentially “exporting” jobs oversees. Verizon would have to pay a huge bill on that case.

Gone

Unfortunately, a lot of people who will end up impacted by Verizon layoffs and start their job search in earnest are in for a terribly unpleasant surprise, even shock!

1. Working at Verizon doesn't automatically qualify you for a great new gig. It's corporate work that relies on a system within which many people are involved to generate the final output.

2. Verizon's reputation in the external world is not as great as you might think.

3. Verizon resume accomplishments don't mean much to people outside Telecom.

4. Telecom Industry hiring is slowing.

5. The New Jersey employment market will be flooded with people with similar skill sets making it hard to differentiate yourself from ~15,000+ other people out on the streets looking for work at the same time.

6. Verizon pays well and there's a good chance that wherever your next job is your compensation including benefits will be significantly less.

7. Corporate management and occupational jobs like what you had at Verizon will be harder to come by as time goes on due to companies automating via AI functions (e.g., Finance, Accounting, Legal, Marketing, Operations, etc) that previously needed to be performed by human resources.

8. Your next position after Verizon is likely to be in a different industry and possibly in a totally new job function. Prepare yourself mentally as you'll need to be flexible if you want to continue to work.

9. Your Verizon personal network will be vitually meaningless in your emploment search as people you thought were your friends and allies will forget you quickly. Too many others will be worried about their own job situations and those who remain at Verizon will be too busy trying to pick up the pieces of the cutback aftermath.

10. Verizon is firing you and you will never be welcomed back. Forget about returning to Verizon at a later time as it's over no matter how personally invested you've been to VZ over the years. Put VZ in the rearview mirror and move on to your next position.

11. Verizon will not be providing you with personal recommendations. You'll be directed to an automated employment verification system using VZ's company code which anyone looking to hire you will need to access.

12. Verizon severance will go quickly. Immediately review and cutback on your discretionary spending. Avoid the temptation to draw on your 401k as you'll need to pay taxes and anything you draw out at a time you can least afford to and it will take you years to recover against retirement savings.

13. Leaving Verizon employment you're going to be very self confident, however you'll soon experience periods of self doubt and discouragement as you go thru the job search process. Hang in there as this is a normal part of looking for a job.

14. The Job Search procees has drastically changed since you went to work for Verizon. Take the time to learn how to effectively search for a job using the latest techniques and approaches.

15. Verizon job skills are not necessarily transferable to other lines of work. You're going to need to invest time and effort into developing new skills to make yourself marketable.

16. Your post-Verizon job search will likely take time. The average search has been ~five months so yours could longer or shorter depending on many factors including how diligently you pursue your search.

17. If you choose to continue to work in Corporate America post-Verizon you will go thru layoffs again.

18. You no longer work for Verizon. Your job is to find a job.

19. Verizon's DEI policies are not practiced by many external employers (& rightfully so as everyone should be treated equally) and as such you're going to need to secure a new job based on your personal merits and abilities. If you're older don't worry as there are companies that will hire later career workers. If you're younger make sure you shed any thoughts of job entitlement and have a willingness to work hard to please your employer.

20. After leaving Verizon you will no longer have a structured routine. Do your best to maintain a daily routine and continue doing the other aspects of your life (i.e., attending church, volunteering, socializing, etc.). Above all do not allow yourself to withdraw and become isolated.

21. Being a Verizon Employee is no longer a part of your identity. Recognize that there are other more important aspects that make you who you are (i.e., relationship with God & family, values and beliefs, personality, interests, etc.).

22. You will eventually get thru this period of your life and forget about Verizon. Yes, this will be a time of personal challenge, but you will emerge stronger having personally grown thru the experience.

23. Leaving Verizon is an excellent time to reevaluate what you want out of the remainder of your life. For some it may be the opportune time to retire, while for others they may choose to reposition themselves with a new career (e.g., entrepreneurship, taking up a trade, Non-profits, ministry, other?). If you still need to work don't allow yourself to quit the workforce prematurely.

24. Verizon is just a company. Many people mistakenly worship at the throne of the company when in reality as a human organization it will eventually fail everyone that is part of working there. Remember, the Lord has a plan for your life and he will guide and direct your steps when you trust Him (Proverbs 3:5-6).

If they hadn’t gutted my team to the point where we’re barely functioning, this wouldn’t even be an issue. There’s only so much workload you can pile onto fewer and fewer people before everything implodes. And honestly, why would any of us go above and beyond anymore? We’ve seen time and again that the reward for hard work is watching your job get cut anyway.

I can barely drag myself out of bed on workdays, and I dread coming in. Burnt out doesn’t even begin to cover it. I’ve worked at several companies before, and this has been the most toxic, exhausting, and unrewarding experience of them all. At this point, I’m willing to face a brutal job market and even a long stretch of unemployment if it means protecting my mental and physical health.

I haven’t heard anything myself, but I’d really like to know if next week is going to be safe for all of us. I honestly just need a breather.

One way or another. This wait has been unbearable.

I am an enterprise architect that has been tasked with implementing AI from design to implementation. We have been very busy for the past two years, from governance, safety and control rack, and stack. Yes, AI is very impressive, and does bring a lot to the table for immediate impact on workflows, data science and automation. With that All being said AI still needs human in the loop, I don’t care how much we can build the guard rails, hallucinations are still a plague for us. But I will tell you that Google is very active and their consultant services, about what they are learning from Gemini. Every day employees use Gemini, but all you’re doing is training a system. I know they have that little disclaimer at the bottom that they are not using any Verizon data to train, but they are. They just use different words for it. This has been in the works for a while, and will be used as future metric data, for future cuts. I will tell you that this downsizing that’s coming is not because of AI, it’s not mature enough inside of Verizon. These cuts are trying to curve the bleeding that our past leadership has left us in. They are going to sting, but won’t be part of a overall strategy. Yes they will announce some flashy, news attention seeking moves this week. But nothing truly about the honest direction where we’re about to go. Do you think it was just by chance that our new CEO mentioned perplexity in his first? conversation? He has a very big stake in perplexity.

With all the corporate talk about “psychological safety,” I keep wondering: is that even possible when layoffs never stop?
Real psychological safety requires predictability and trust.
Rolling layoffs destroy both.
Here’s what ki-ls it:
Zero transparency. Everything is “realignment,” “strategy,” or “location optimization.” Translation: no one knows what’s really happening.

Random performance hits. One day you’re “exceeds expectations,” the next day you’re suddenly “needs improvement” right before a cut.

No beginning, no end. Instead of one clear RIF, you get drip-drip layoffs tied to RTO, org shuffles, or quiet offshoring.

And everyone knows. Employees aren’t stupid — when people quietly disappear, the anxiety spikes.
Axios recently called this the era of the “forever layoff.” as noted in the previous post.
Micro-layoffs (fewer than 50 people) went from 38% in 2015 to 51% now. Companies do small cuts all year, stay under the radar, and pretend nothing is happening. But workers absolutely feel it — morale, trust, and well-being are tanking across the board.

And honestly, Wells Fargo is the poster child for this — just look at the ongoing discussion in that thread. Rolling layoffs, opaque messaging, shifting “location strategy,” and the slow offshoring creep. It’s exactly the anxiety-inducing pattern Axios described.
So here’s the question:
Can any company claim “psychological safety” when people spend every week wondering if they’re next?

Because psychological safety + perpetual layoffs = corporate fiction.

Bayer has let go of about 13,500 employees, including around 5,000 managers, since implementing a new operating model in early 2024. CEO Bill Anderson said in a recent earnings call that he expects a slower rate of headcount reduction moving forward.

https://www.biospace.com/job-trends/bayer-layoffs-continued-in-q3-but-ceo-says-cuts-should-be-incremental-moving-forward

Is it time for T-Mobile to unionize? The leaders of the company clearly don’t care about the employees.

Unionizing could slow down and complicate the process of mass tech company layoffs by introducing legal and financial barriers through collective bargaining agreements.

CWA & IBEW both have telecom representation.

If you're early or mid career think longer term about the implications of a shrinking oil and gas industry, and where you want to be in the future. This will NOT be the last round of layoffs if history is any guide. Do not wait too late to transition to something else with more long term promise. Don't box yourself into a role that will not translate to another one elsewhere. It is quite rare that you will make it past 55 (or even 50) in this industry and by then it would be too difficult to pivot.

Sound advice. OP: @c8+1ka0j1k60

I can barely manage the stress. I’ve tried everything and gone through every emotion on the spectrum, from outright fear to total indifference. This is taking a real toll on my health. And of course it’s happening at a point in my life when I’m already juggling so many things that dropping even one could cause a disaster. I can’t imagine I’m the only one feeling this way.

Do we know for sure?

Solgen Power LLC, which merged with Oregon-based Purelight Power, is laying off 104 workers in Washington effective Jan. 13., according to a notice filed Friday with the state Employment Security Department, as required by the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, or WARN Act.

https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/business/article312925080.html

will IT Engineering be hit hard in this they are down to bare bones now

In my head, it’s going to be like a big worksheet.

PART 1 - WHO?

Ratings are a part of it. A 3 of 5 might keep you employed, so long as there aren’t any layoffs, but if there are no 1’s or 2’s then that means the 3’s are first. Quota attainment will bear direct weight for incentive-based roles.

Job code. Individual RIF or entire team RIF.

TOTAL cost to sever. Current salary, banked PTO and current-year PTO on the books, RETIREMENT ELIGIBILITY, your particular state’s WARN notice period (standard 60 day federal guideline, or enhanced state overlay like NJ’s 90 days).

Tally up numbers to count Over 40’s, ethnicity breakdown, etc. for cross-section.

PART 2 - PETITIONING

Who has signed severance, who has declined. You have a period in which you can revoke your signature, after which, it becomes irrevocable. Those who have not signed their rights away - will they be offered a better deal?

I’m not a coder, but can someone confirm if there was what appeared to be the possibility to override each reference value. If so, why and when would this be used?

With recent announcements stating jobs would only be open in the main hub locations, I bet layoffs for workers who don't live close to the a hub. More and more people are required to go into the office so it's only makes sense. Why get rid of 1 millionaire vp when you can get rid of 15,000 low level employees? If you want to stay with the company, they are still aggressively hiring in all other countries except the United States.

I tried gaming, watching a movie, and a bunch of other stuff and nothing helped. All I can think about is potentially being jobless next week. I don't have savings, so I'll be sc--wed if I can't find a replacement job right away, which is highly unlikely. I just feel sick to my stomach about the whole thing.

That seems to be the message the leadership is sending us.

With Cali layoffs of 175/2300 (7.5%) , what percentage of layoffs are done? Give the anecdotal numbers and let's estimate

I am being told the announcement is week of Dec 1st. Potential reorganization.

Welcome to the world of the "forever layoff." Companies are increasingly making cuts year-round in small batches rather than big sweeping firings.

The smaller batches of layoffs let businesses make changes and shift strategies without attracting scrutiny — and they normalize layoffs as a typical part of work. But they still put people out of jobs and make workers super anxious.

https://www.axios.com/2025/11/16/rolling-layoffs-small-firings

https://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/2025/11/intel-lays-off-669-more-oregon-workers-as-local-headcount-dwindles.html

I’m waiting to hear whether I’m getting cut, and I’m calmer than I thought I’d be. I spent a long stretch tightening things up at home, cutting back, saving where I could, and making sure we built a routine that didn’t depend on every paycheck lining up perfectly. That mindset changed everything for me.

We built our life around flexibility instead of pressure, and now even a layoff wouldn’t send us into a tailspin. It took effort, sure, but it taught me that preparing for uncertainty gives you a lot more control than you think.

Whatever comes next week, I know I’m not walking into it empty handed.

I see that there are planned layoffs in March and June, although I wonder if the source is one post on blind which might or might not be true. Either way it would help to evaluate what % is laid off? Cali laid of 175/2300 which is close to 10% budget as Cali is expensive? Post your % numbers based on anecdotal evidence

I have international vacation trips for Thanksgiving and Christmas already approved and non-refundable airline tickets purchased. If I'm not on the list I assume I will not be claiming the vacation days and will get extra pay for the vacation days not claimed.

What if I am not selected but half my team is?

What kind of Accounting is Krabanaugh doing?

Does anyone normal think it's worth over 300 a share? I would not be surprised if he is cooking the books. Remember he said the quiet part out loud when he said he wanted to reach 300 at a F&O All hands earlier this year.

And if IBM is really valued that much, why all the RAs?

https://www.reddit.com/r/economy/comments/1oxfmpa/900000_white_americans_have_lost_their_jobs_since/?rdt=45344

Notice how after a layoff, the Lumen higher ups like to post about the "wonderful awards" they seem to garner from this group or that group, and directors like to post about "brain storming" sessions with subordinates that they are working on things like AI and NAAS, but not addressing the real elephant in the room regarding declining revenues on the services that are still paying the bills? "look at this shiny thing over her, while we run Lumen into the ground" Kate and Kye are truly lost, it's no wonder why they jump from company to company, and bring all their friends with them.

Just curious if I need to gather all my personal items before Thurs.