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How did we get here?
I’ve worked in this industry for more than 35 years, and this is stunning. Employee exhaustion from perpetual cost-cutting cycles has become so normalized that people now seem to accept it as a fact of life.
I understand capitalism. I understand the need to make a profit. But at what point did we remove the human element from the workplace, all while increasing our use of slogans like "people first" and "we’re a family"?
We've became a sick society.
This treatment of depression staff has happened under Ryan's watch, and Rajat Taneja is complicit. It was never like this with Al... remember the lockdown tears and family-vibe he instilled? Now a climate of fear.
Question is, is it purely down to Ryan (being a salesman, not CEO material), the shareholders, Rajat... or would this have happened under Al but he saw it coming?
so sick of every tom, di-k and harry reminding us to complete it, been here 20 plus years and never had anything good happen from that stupid survey
another waste of time
It is not about expecting a reward. I actually get a real sense of satisfaction from doing a job well, no matter where I am or who I work for. But here is the thing all of us have to accept. Do not expect loyalty back. Do not expect appreciation. Do not expect any of it to protect you. When cuts come, you will be out the door just as fast as the person who does nothing. Maybe faster. Whatever corporate culture this place supposedly had is long gone. If it ever existed at all.
Two talented people are gone from the team, but the clueless, passive-aggressive manager survived. Lucky us.
Emplyoyees have lost:
So how does management expect to keep and attract employees under these circumstances?
I wrote this poem when I got made redundant from Verizon in November 2015. Still relevant today.
It Was my Final Day – The Bard of Verizon
It was my final day.
I looked around the office.
At all the empty desks.
I could tell.
The building was now an empty shell.
Where is everyone ?
Tom, Di-k and Harry my good friends all now gone.
I wondered if ?
Just like me they had been hit by a RIF.
I shake my head in disbelief and want to cry
That must be the reason why.
Meanwhile at Verizon HQ.
Fran Shamo's latest financial report was sadly nothing new.
We must do something radical to improve our profit margins as they are still down
He said with a frown.
The board racked their brains for hours.
And even more hours.
Until Lowell McAdam jumped to his feet he had a brainwave.
"Eureka I have the perfect plan.”
"That's why I am the top man."
“How about if..."
"We have another RIF ?"
There was whooping, smiling, laughter and high fives all round.
The company’s profits would soon rise a solution had been found.
Lowell McAdam then said "Ring The Bell for a job well done we deserve some praise."
"Let's also award ourselves a well deserved 20% pay raise."
The board couldn't care less.
If the RIF made their minions lives a mess.
The poor Verizon staff.
Unlike their leaders could neither smile or a laugh.
Once they were many now they are just too few.
Lowell McAdam's grand plan would give them all more stress and work they could do without.
That much they knew.
Their future is not going to be that bright.
All doom and gloom probably describes it just about right.
And yes they work under a cloud constantly worrying if ?
They are going to be a casualty of yet another Verizon RIF.
Only time will tell, but no one has a good feeling about Zayo
This isn’t working. RTO isn’t working.
The conversation internally is still focused only on badge swipes, presence reports, five-day mandates and 10% sweeping layoffs while the stock slides, morale stays low, and leadership takes new debt and pushes expensive long-term office bets nobody wants.
Markets don’t care about the unnecessary and expensive RTO facade. It just destroys value by forcing out top talent and plummeting productivity.
They don’t care about micromanaging badge data.
They don’t care about forced commutes that reduce available working hours.
They don’t care who sat in a chair 5 days this week while watching Netflix at their desk.
They care about execution. Growth. Costs. Talent retention. Confidence in leadership. All the things we aren’t focused on right now.
At some point the board has to ask hard questions and decide to make some real changes to turn things around.
Because the falling stock price, disengaged employees, and doubling down on unpopular policies isn’t a strategy. It’s self inflicted destruction.
Please stop doing layoff. We are only 80k employees which is very less then your competitor. Still you continue doing layoff . Not even a single employee is happy over here. Please make your existing employee happy.
How much of a lack of character, conscience and morals do you have to be a leader at Chevron? The way it seems you cant have any and only care about yourself. MW and team see all the hardship, chaos and stress they are putting this company through and they still do it. They are affecting people's health and dont care. Must be a terrible upbringing. They DO NOT HAVE TO give everything to rhe shareholders. No law that says they have to. They can have some human decency but choose to have none! Don't put in an ounce of extra effort for these sc-m bags!
I know several employees that have been given date of June 30.
They are doing zero work.
In short FIS Management has given them paid vacation.
The intent was to save money, instead management is doling out free money
I just want this round to be over so I can have some peace of mind, even if only for a couple of weeks. I'm terrified of losing my job. It's a bad period in life, too many obligations and reasons to stress. Losing my job would probably bring me to my knees. I hate that it's come to this, but I can't change it right now.
Just numbers. That's it. Everything is about cuts, and we're the ones cut. Easy savings for leadership to boost the stock and their bonuses. So stop investing. Stop the extra hours. Stop expecting anything. And for God's sake, don't give this place a single thing more than what they're paying for.
Why is it always on the survivors to absorb everything from the people who got cut? If there's suddenly so much extra work, maybe those people shouldn't have been let go. But there's never any real planning afterward, just an expectation that we'll do the jobs of three people, including things we have no idea how to do.
These days, it's fashionable not even to attempt retaining talent. Cost-cutting is the go-to strategy for propping up the share price and securing leadership bonuses. In the long term, they're cutting the branch they're sitting on. I'm not sure any of this is sustainable. The two groups most targeted in layoffs have been veterans, the well of knowledge and experience, and the younger talent that any company would ki-l for under normal circumstances. It's a recipe for disaster.
I do good work for me. Not for the company. They don’t care whether I try or not. There is no reward coming my way. Odds are I will be let go eventually and nobody in management will lose any sleep over it. But I also know myself. If I spent eight to ten hours a day just skating by, working only for a paycheck, I would lose my mind. So I do the job well because I have to live with myself afterward. What I cannot figure out is how some people coast so easily. That would drive me insane.
Think about the people you work with. Every one of them has a distinct mind, a unique set of experiences, a whole library of skills they built over years. That is an enormous amount of potential sitting in one place. A smart company would see that as gold. Instead, most corporations treat employees like identical spare parts. Interchangeable. Disposable. If that is not a sign that the economy has lost its sense of what actually matters, I honestly do not know what is.
with most of the layers doing nothing but making reports celebrating that the chocolate rations have been increased from 2.4% to 2.7% this quarter. Meanwhile back in the garages and CO's it's now BYOTP (toilet paper) time.
https://www.salesforceben.com/the-midlife-crisis-of-the-salesforce-professional/
Layoffs even in AF, smaller territories, higher targets, no raises, greater levels of micromanagement, offshoring....leading many to question is the hard pivot to AI really worth it it just leave the ecosystem? Or even leave the entire tech industry as misery increases for everyone.
Is anyone else struggling with the new leaders in MD Live? It’s toxic and micro management and like I’m not allowed to have an opinion. I’m ready to leave but wish I would be packaged out and offered severance. I tried to bring it up as an option and was dismissed which seems like the current mentality in this area. Anyone else? Or anyone with suggestions? Does anyone know if there will be layoffs?
Any other clubs that lose people find out that they aren’t being replaced ? We lost a receiver, a day forklift driver and someone in freezer cooler .. we were told they were not getting replaced .. yet the F/c now has a merch over there which has left the floor short .. then they take a lift driver over there which make the floor short again.. why are we not replacing people .. all they are doing is stressing everyone out because we still have to do the job yet we are running out butts off like crazy while our managers get a huge pay raise to still sit in the office or walk around the club with their coffee cups barking out orders of how we aren’t getting enough done . Home office needs to get their heads out of their butts and realize it isn’t the mangers keeping your clubs going … it is the associates u are treating badly
My top 10
It increases commute time & stress. Period...
It raises costs for emplyees...
It can reduce worklife balance.
It limits access to wider talent pools.
It hurts productivity for focused work.
It creates unnecessary office overhead.
It can lower employee satisfaction.
It makes caregiving harder.
It can increase burnout risk.
It is not improving collaboration.
The soft layoffs in innovative medicine continue, and many of us are starting to question the criteria behind who is being let go. Employees who consistently come into the office three days a week, contribute meaningfully, and do their jobs well are being impacted, while others who rarely show up and contribute little seem to remain untouched.
It’s difficult not to notice how political the environment appears to have become. At times, it feels as though if someone in leadership doesn’t personally favor you, your position may already be at risk. That perception alone is concerning. It keeps repeating and everyone sees it.
I simply wish professionalism, maturity, and fairness carried more weight in these decisions. People should not feel that their livelihood is tied to office politics, personal insecurities, or whether they are personally liked by leadership.
Let’s be honest — some of these leaders are simply not qualified for the roles they hold. Titles and positions do not automatically make someone an effective leader. True leadership requires competence, accountability, emotional intelligence, fairness, and the ability to develop and support strong teams. Unfortunately, many employees are witnessing the opposite.
Too often, decisions appear to be driven by favoritism, office politics, personal comfort, or insecurity rather than actual performance and contribution. Strong employees who bring value, experience, and consistency are being pushed out, while individuals with the right relationships or visibility continue to advance despite limited impact. That creates frustration, distrust, and a toxic work culture.
What’s even more concerning is that many organizations claim to value innovation, collaboration, and talent retention, yet they continue to lose some of their most capable people because leadership lacks the maturity or confidence to manage high-performing individuals effectively. Great leaders build strong teams around them. Insecure leaders often view strong talent as competition.
At some point, innovative medicine has to ask themselves why morale is declining, why turnover is increasing, and why employees no longer trust leadership. The issue is not always the workforce. Sometimes the issue is the people making the decisions
I joined last year, I am kind of surprised the there is so much pride associates have to stick around in company for 20-25-20-25-30-35-40 years!
In my first 6 months, when I met somebody or when they were introduced, there was no mention of their achievements, work or success or role .. it was always .. achievement is "she/he has been here for 10-15-20-25-20-25-30-35-40 years" lot of them are in the same role or team for at least 10 years!
because they dont know whats going on... and not feeling the heat because they are more engaged in retiring than managing.
Begone!
Please let the next round of layoffs happen to all the useless MDs
Look, we know you're monitoring this website. Shoot, it wouldn't be at all surprising if one of your VPs spent half the day refreshing this... or if you paid someone a Store Director's salary to do the same.
So, seriously, just between us: what's your plan?
We all have families, obligations... pets. We're doing our best to support our campuses, support our teams and continue our lives while you keep doing your best to make those things impossible.
So, again...what's your plan?
Asking for a friend.
Don't you love how home office messes with our bonus ? No longer going above and beyond. Doing what I can and at a different pace from here on out.
https://share.google/BgSnNob21yil8h0YY
I was laid off in 2024 after 18 years at Cisco. It was a weird time leaving because people just stopped talking to me. It was as if I was gone in a snap. People I thought I knew and worked with everyday, people I considered a friend went radio silent. I remember who they are.
I myself had survived many rounds and I’m 1000% sure I failed in reaching out to those hit to connect before they left. When I was let go, I knew what it felt like.
So all of you who survived this one and the next one, you have an opportunity. Reach out to those you worked with who’ve been hit. Write a message, make a call, or set up a webex do what’s best. You have no idea how much that means to the person impacted. They will remember you.
Next time it could be you. When you’re on the outside, you’ll need to network to find your next job. People will remember how you made them feel. They will answer your call.
We’re all doing our best. Remember those who go before you.
No matter what. Worrying won't change a thing next week.
I'm starting to think that's just a myth the old-timers keep repeating. You couldn't convince me people ever enjoyed working here.
People keep telling me that should be enough. We've just accepted that we have to take the uncertainty, the disrespect, the constant stress, all so we can pay the bills. But that's not actually enough. We spend most of our waking lives at work, often doing overtime, and there's no meaning to any of it beyond the money. Is it any wonder people are burnt out and hate their jobs?
Work just does not happen anymore. Every morning brings a new set of priorities and by afternoon they have changed again. Projects get announced and then abandoned before anyone finishes the first task. People vanish from the org chart overnight with no explanation. Managers are drowning. I have stopped trying to achieve anything meaningful. Now I just float and hope nothing sinks me. Most of my coworkers seem to be doing the same.
We have operated under repeated rounds of cuts and layoffs for an extended period. Each round comes with no follow through and no coherent plan. The result is that the organization has finally reached a breaking point. The systems are brittle. The trust is gone. The momentum is dead. When my own probability of being cut in the near future is as high as it is, why would I buy into any pressure to go above and beyond? The rational choice is to stop pretending that hard work will save me. So that is where I am. I am done.
Made it through this round, but it doesn't feel like winning. This job is just about being afraid to lose it now. Nothing else drives me anymore.
Honestly, it makes me furious. It’s embarrassing and even disgusting to know I work at the same company as these people, even if we’re not in the same department. During such a tough time, when so many teams and colleagues are heartbroken while handing over their work to leave, there are actually some twisted individuals in these anonymous threads gloating over it.
Everyone in my group (at least on the surface) would never stoop that low. The reality is, our roles are different, and whether we bring value really just depends on the company’s strategic direction. When our work no longer aligns with where the company is heading—and let's be real, that’s often completely out of our control—we get laid off. It’s a helpless, sad situation for everyone involved.
So to whoever is gloating right now: no matter who you are, you are the absolute worst, and incredibly stupid. You’re nothing more than a number that just lived on the survive on the list this time.
The people who got laid off will use their talent to land even better jobs elsewhere. As for you? You’d better pray you don't get cut, because you’d be left with absolutely nothing.
We’re failing because there isn’t a single leader including our crybaby CEO who is willing to cut through the bureaucracy, say what’s actually happening, and get sh-t done. Instead we get endless semi-emotional town halls.
This is a job and not a family. I’m here to make a paycheck to support my actual family. And right now? Compensation is embarrassing.
At this point I’d rather work for ruthless leadership that executes than leaders who cry in interviews while the company drifts in circles.
We used to be obsessed with winning. Now we are the poster child of “winning isn’t for everyone including us”
Cisco doesn’t care about you, why should you care about Cisco? Why work hard to make projects successful.
No one here knows when a lay off is going to happen. There might be 4 people maximum that know prior to VPs getting a heads up day of
everyone should reflect on their personal contributions and what theyre bringing to the table Respected efficient top contributors aren’t on here getting scared or fear mongering - so reflect on where you fall and make the case for staying
To the trolls: unless you have founded proof - stop ruining people’s days. You’re literally
Making this worse for everyone.