Watching L3Harris Technologies lay off its strongest performers over the past few years—the very people who held the mission together—was a turning point for me.
Leadership continues to celebrate costly tools and strategies that never deliver, while overlooking the voices of their workforce and customers. Millions spent on buzzwords and consultants, yet the foundation—people, trust, products execution—was neglected.
Across the prime contractor landscape, instability like this doesn’t go unnoticed. Contracts may be won in the short term, but they erode quickly when customer confidence declines.
Why would employees stay fully invested when they’re operating in constant fear of losing their jobs? Performance isn’t consistently rewarded—and too often, those who stand out become targets instead of leaders.
This industry is demanding, but this outcome wasn’t inevitable—it was self-inflicted. The only thing disrupted was itself.
I miss the work and the people. I don’t miss a culture where talent is disposable and accountability is absent.
Morale isn’t optional—it’s mission critical. For the outstanding workforce there is better out there, it takes time but you will find a place where your voice matters.
24 replies (most recent on top)
@22p Did they rehire her husband Chris yet? He used to work in SLC, arrive late, leave early, had some rando executive IT job with a huge office and never heard him contribute to anything. I sat 20 feet from the guy, hard to miss, not many people driving 911's to work late and leaving early. Coincidentally that was right around the time of the merger.
@2bc product line sales !!
How many more asset sales/divestitures will they do to meet financial targets? SM is good at these. More to come this year?
@24m They're keeping the stock high and the shareholders sated by selling off assets and laying people off. The shareholders don't care where their money comes from.
When there's nothing left to sell, the company will be broken into saleable pieces and gobbled up by prime contractors and closing houses.
IT at this company is beyond pathetic. This company has blown so much money on consulting that hasn’t done jack didly squat, all the losses from outsourcing to 3 different companies and all the knowledge not retained from the FTE’s, and court fees due to Accenture suing them, how are they not reporting this to the real customer..the “shareholders”.
Heidi Wood will use AI one day to save the company! One day! Till that day arrives, she will mesmerize us all with cool business lingo!
@1wy Correction. It was a negative return on investment.
This sounds like a great opportunity to LHXNext HW and give SM another role!
#Fast.Forward.
#TrustedDisruptor
The decision by Heidi Wood to bring in AlixPartners has delivered zero return.
$100M+ per year for 4 years to cut workforce, outsource IT and procurement, sell assets, and “automate” with Palantir Technologies—and every objective failed.
Outsourcing broke critical functions
Automation never materialized
High performers were laid off, impacting program delivery
Leaders who challenged it were removed
This wasn’t transformation—it was dismantling.
Yet the C-suite continues to spend with no accountability for results.
The people that are not wanted at Clifton, are the ones that refuse to show blind obedience to bad ideas.
Blind obedience is a hallmark of a coward. People of courage are not wanted here .
Take a good look at their front line supervisors. You've got to be kidding. This is the best they can do? Some feckless loser who can bullsh-t his way into a job?
Or constant "retreads" who were laid off several times over the years and keep coming back with their tails between their legs because they've got no place else to go?
A bunch of losers. No wonder this location is failing. It's a halfway house for the chronically unemployable.
What is really stupid is they layoff their good people, the good people get better paying jobs, then L3Harris begs them to come back with a significantly better salary than they got after they left. They get a double big increase.
Happens over and over at GVL.
@15v what do you mean lol, look up the org chart yourself
@154 - who specifically?
And now they make CISO, the CIO as well? Who doesn’t even report directly to CEO? LOL CANT MAKE THIS STUFF UP HERE. It’s a circus!
@12r you already know the answer to that. When L3HARRIS runs out of assets to sell, there will wave after wave of layoffs. If you think the Great RIF of '24 was bad, you're in for a shocker. The next one will be greater than 5%.
While there is a war on, L3HARRIS didn't position itself to cash in.
Poor leadership.
Poor planning.
Poor saps who still work there.
RTX rocks!
We're buying a second vacation home this year 👍
Great point! SM is very good at selling assets to meet targets in current year. Question is what happens when they run out of assets to sell?
l3harris puts dumpster fires to shame
@eh personally, I do think they are well aware but too chicken to stand up for what is right, but please spend more money on tools and consultants that nobody uses.
@e3 great comment couldnt agree more, while interviewing it clear that industry primes are well aware of why you are leaving dont focus in the negative and look towards the future.
SM will keep selling assets to meet earnings and cash!
L3harris management are absolute buffoons. Morale in many programs is below the floor specifically because of them.
For example, there are a pair of, ahem, "heavier set" individuals slithering around Building F (I refer to them as Beavis and Bu-----d) that are known to be allegedly attempting to dismantle a landmark program that L3Harris has had for years. And, unfortunately, they have succeeded in making it a shell of it's former self so far.
Getting let go from this place last year was the best thing that's ever happened to me. At least I regained peace of mind. Sure, RTX has its issues, but they are nothing compared to the childish sh-t I dealt with at L3H.
@OP If L3H's "leadership" team could read or understand anything other than a quarterly report, they would be very upset by your astute observation.
I've found that perspective employers are concerned that L3HARRIS employees are bitter, angry and damaged. Be positive and optimistic when interviewing for that job.
They already know why you're leaving L3 so don't harp on it. Tell them you're excited about starting a new chapter with better opportunities.
@a8 I know many that crossed the street in melbourne, most of the jobs allow for hyprid. I will say, mgmt knows of the bad culture at l3harris particularly in florida and are careful not to hire employees that plan to repeat that those bad behaviors. Keep that in mind when interviewing.
Or go work for Northrop, much better place