Thread regarding VMware layoffs

Data Sharing

So the first communication ever received from our hitherto kept secret Chief Privacy Officer is a doozy. Apparently VMware has begun sharing relevant employee data with Broadcom “as we continue through the integration planning process”.

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| 5103 views | | 30 replies (last August 3, 2023) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1nSA3DGH

30 replies (most recent on top)

Q for managers - Have you already been asked or done stack ranking of your teams ? Otherwise how will bcom know which employees from a team need to be cut (unless the whole team is going away) ? There has to be some kind of input from the manager, right ?

No. We were not given instructions to stack rank. We have no instructions for the past few years to create one. We don't have a list, nor have been asked for one. I'm speaking for 6 teams here across two cost centers in one BU.

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Post ID: @3iqq+1nSA3DGH

@1ogt+1nSA3DGH

Are you sure everyone in the thread is paranoid? BC actively and very regularly interacts with many folks in my BU. It’s been > 3 months since active data sharing about many detailed things started (including details of roles and people in those roles)
At this point, it is safe to assume that BC has an action plan and does not need to wait till Day 1 to start figuring out VMware

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Post ID: @3bdy+1nSA3DGH

If you want an idea of how this is going to go, look at the Citrix boards. TK used the "Broadcom M&A Playbook" to the letter.

This is exactly how it happened at Citrix:

"1 your being laid off here is your severance

2 your being retained here is your package

3 your being retained for 12 months while your team/business is outsourced, here is your package (inc retention bonus)"

The layoffs were only known to a very small group - line managers didn't know until the end of the day prior to layoffs starting. As others mentioned, pretty standard practice. I wouldn't be surprised if there's ongoing cost-cutting like they did at Citrix: mandated RTO for majority of those left (with badge swipe audits to see who's really complying), IT cost cutting through use of cheaper SaaS tools (Citrix ditched their M365 suite for G Suite and Zoom, etc.), accelerated offshoring/outsourcing of many functions, etc.

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Post ID: @2feq+1nSA3DGH

I think in that other post there was another option for 6 mos. employment + retention.

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Post ID: @2pmc+1nSA3DGH

“I think we heard on another thread you get one of three communications on day 1

1 your being laid off here is your severance

2 your being retained here is your package

3 your being retained for 12 months while your team/business is outsourced, here is your package (inc retention bonus)”

So what are we thinking about EUC PSO right now? Third category while they figure out what to do with us?

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Post ID: @2bck+1nSA3DGH

I think we heard on another thread you get one of three communications on day 1

1 your being laid off here is your severance

2 your being retained here is your package

3 your being retained for 12 months while your team/business is outsourced, here is your package (inc retention bonus)

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Post ID: @2dzk+1nSA3DGH

One of the previous post says
“ Also, it's likely that most of the HR team involved in the processing of terminated employees won't know the details until shortly before the announcement is made”

HR is most likely going to be the first team laid off almost in its entirety. Of course, they won’t know till just before and once they process all the other layoffs, they’ll receive the notice.

All layoff will ideally happen before the employees become Broadcom employees I.e. just before day 0

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Post ID: @2ahn+1nSA3DGH

Have you verified your location? Broadcom wants to know.

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Post ID: @1wjv+1nSA3DGH

They can use the previous ranking. There is always a ranking at any given time.

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Post ID: @1lxa+1nSA3DGH

Also your info has to be input into BC payroll if you are going to be retained.. when BC takes over your checks are coming from Broadcom not VMW. Benefits enrollment is also a big deal

As mentioned onboarding thousands of employees is a major job and obviously it's a prep step

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Post ID: @1ajo+1nSA3DGH

@ ID: @1imm+1nSA3DGH
I haven’t been asked.

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Post ID: @1ogd+1nSA3DGH

Yep, there has been lots of backdoor communication that is certainly in the grey area, if not outright illegal. The way of the world, get away with what you can until the govt (maybe) says no.

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Post ID: @1elk+1nSA3DGH

You guys are paranoid! VMware wasn’t allowed to share any data before. It’s the most normal thing. And no, there is no stack ranking.

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Post ID: @1ogt+1nSA3DGH

Q for managers - Have you already been asked or done stack ranking of your teams ? Otherwise how will bcom know which employees from a team need to be cut (unless the whole team is going away) ? There has to be some kind of input from the manager, right ?

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Post ID: @1imm+1nSA3DGH

Also, it's likely that most of the HR team involved in the processing of terminated employees won't know the details until shortly before the announcement is made.

This has been standard procedure for all layoffs by silicon valley tech companies.

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Post ID: @1hbp+1nSA3DGH

"Yet, every month someone claims here or on TB that Broadcom has been poring over this list looking for reductions. Tough to do when they just got that list."

The only thing that changed is now they're 'disclosing' they have a list and are using it.

Of course, they've been using a list before now. Don't be fooled by the disclosure.

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Post ID: @1efj+1nSA3DGH

FTC has not yet approved the deal. They are quite silent and may block the deal. Why VMware already sharing sensitive employee information with BC already? There is still high chance the deal may not go through.

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Post ID: @1cho+1nSA3DGH

In past acquisitions BC has done massive Day 0 layoffs indicating they already had prepared, this is routine for Hock, he's done it before

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Post ID: @1kxy+1nSA3DGH

As someone already mentioned, it's already decided... there is no way they can instantly notify so many given all the details to be hashed out - severance, final pay etc or welcome letters for retained folks - it's a massive job and would take weeks.

The data share just indicates that they are doing the paperwork now given the regulatory approvals are almost certain.

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Post ID: @1dwc+1nSA3DGH

"Tough to do when they just got that list."

They didn't need individual names before this. BC already knows the general areas that will be cut, they've had over a year to examine our business and they've done this before.

This is is just the nitty gritty of parsing out who are in the groups/roles being cut, or in the teams getting a welcome email. Pretty big job to notify 30K+ individuals of their corporate fate at the same time. Privacy guy and IT need a little time to get this going. Sigh.

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Post ID: @1hce+1nSA3DGH

What's funny is this is one of the first steps in determining where to cut headcount, resources, and business units.

Yet, every month someone claims here or on TB that Broadcom has been poring over this list looking for reductions. Tough to do when they just got that list.

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Post ID: @1oux+1nSA3DGH

well, am I surprised no... this is the drill. Get all the employee data and see who to send packing. Hopefully it will be done with some class and you don't discover it when your login does not work one day.

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Post ID: @1chi+1nSA3DGH

yep, BC now needs the actual names to send the "welcome" or "here's your severance" email.

There was another thread from a CA employee that said those emails are sent out a day or two after closing..

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Post ID: @1szp+1nSA3DGH

Very sad day . This is the first day of our journey to the B.Com "cloud".

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Post ID: @1iva+1nSA3DGH
our hitherto kept secret Chief Privacy Officer

Who will promptly be laid off when the deal closes…

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Post ID: @knq+1nSA3DGH

I reported the email as Phishing.

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Post ID: @hdc+1nSA3DGH

And also @dpi+1nSA3DGH to work out how hard it’s going to be to get everybody back to the office? Presumably lots of home address zip code cross referencing already going on.

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Post ID: @mkb+1nSA3DGH

Only one reason for this, it's to determine the cost of the redundancies.

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Post ID: @dpi+1nSA3DGH

Tick tock, here comes Hock!

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Post ID: @cmt+1nSA3DGH

Need those details to make lists of who to layoff

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Post ID: @efz+1nSA3DGH

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