Thread regarding CDW layoffs

One dynamic at play is cultural. Sirius bings a Southern good-ole-boy sensibility; this is in stark relief to the more progressive, blue-state sensibility of CDW.

FP Acquisition was because they excelled in one specific area that we wanted to get into, everyone else comming along was basically a bargain, but at what cost to us? On my team we doubled our headcount, but lowered our overall skill because it wasn't a focus area for FP.

Sirius was acquired basically at a fire sale, and Sirus came in acting like they were god's gift to IT services when the reality was that they were a paper tiger, they had minimal delivery staff because almost everything they signed got sent to a partner. A person who came from Sirius would basically bully the other senior managers and justify the reason for certain work falling under them was because they signed $XXXXXXXXXX of SoWs.

Some of the other people were let go because of LOW utilization, like single digit percentage for a year because they were basically hired to service one customer, when that customer left, the person took ZERO initiative to find other work to do in the org.

"Many of us are sick and tired of seeing legacy CDW employees act like their cr-p doesn't stink and engage in a bashfest against other acquisitions. It's old, tiring, and not necessary"

Maybe the legacy CDW employees were tired of Sirius, a company that sent 90% of their work to partners and came to us with minimal headcount in terms of delivery coming in telling us that everything was going to change to the Sirius way of doing things, that we have to change our deliverables to put Sirius on the front and generally acting like the only measure of performance is how much revenue you had signed SoWs for.

What "division" would that be?
@2oqu+1qC8IvFg

"Does anyone have an idea how many were affected?"

About 200 people, about 1/3 in sales and the rest scattered between contractors, DV, managers, and managed services. A fair number of people involved in cloud.

To @2fsu+1qC8IvFg;

1. This is a CDW layoff board, so the assumption is people coming here are current or former CDW employees. It's a safe assumption to make and if it's wrong, who cares? Whether you are laid off from IBM or CDW, my advice stands.

2. Secondly, when someone says "nearly every job I have had," that implies multiple positions, not one or two. Me telling this person to consider looking at what's going on and possibly change careers is sound advice. If it happened to me, I'd follow my own advice and if I didn't, I would hope someone would pull me aside and say "Maybe career X isn't for you - maybe try career Y?"

3. Thirdly, what relevance does their role play? None, and I would hope no one would publish that information on this forum because of the potential of prying management eyes. If you're trying to claim that their role somehow makes them more susceptible to layoffs, that's fair - but that viewpoint just reinforces my advice, not diminish it.

4. I did not say it was this person's fault either - that's an assumption YOU are making. As stated above, if someone is in a role which is more susceptible to layoffs, it's probably a good idea to consider alternatives.

Anyone getting laid off su-ks and at the end of the day, I generally view it as a failure of management and I tend to favor the account of the worker. But NONE of us really know how the choices were made.

The "survivors" meeting happened about 20 minutes ago for my division of more than 2,000 people. The division executive downplayed the impact but made clear the company is changing to meet the needs of the customers and not everyone will be moving forward with the company during this period of change. There was no question and answer option. He spoke for less than 10 minutes and ended the call. It was extremely cold but sobering. It gave the impression more layoffs will be happening in the future as these changes are effectuated. I hope this information helps others needing additional information.

To Dose of Reality

Your comment is way out of line to the person who said they have been laid off from almost every job and you are making way too many assumptions.

1. You don’t know if this person has been laid off from CDW

2 You don’t know if this person works for CDW
3 If the person works for CDW, you don’t know their role
4 You don’t know how many jobs they have held in the past, or with what companies. Perhaps this person has only held 2 previous jobs with companies that tend to lay off lots of people all the time like IBM, HP or Accenture, etc.
The purpose of this board is to let people know of layoffs and be supportive of those that have been. So don’t make assumptions. Perhaps you need the dose of reality!

So much to process in these comments. First, I’m sorry to all affected. It su-ks no matter the circumstances. Second, the way the company is handling them is really cr-ppy. We’ve received absolutely no word from management. The way I found out was that a person I was working with was gone the next day after we started a project. Now to address some of the comments with a heavy dose of reality since some seem to be living in another dimension:

1. To the quiet quitter - keep your political ideas and “social activism” to yourself next time and do your freaking job. No one really cares what you or I think and we’re here to do a job and earn money to support our families. Don’t like who the company does business with? Fine, then go somewhere else and be an “agent of change” rather than throwing a temper tantrum and “quiet quitting.”

2. To the “I’ve been laid off from almost every job but I don’t know the criteria” guy - I’m sorry that it happened to you, but at the risk of being obvious, I think it’s time to look in the mirror. Anyone can get laid off for sure, but if you’ve literally been laid off from every job you’ve ever had, it is time for some soul searching and maybe a career change.

I just recently came back from medical leave and I had a feeling I would be a target for the layoff , good thing I had already started applying for jobs somewhere else during my leave. So when I received the meeting invite this morning it wasn’t too much of a surprise. I loved my job but I always treated it as such a job , I never put too much effort or put little effort I was right in the middle , did as expected, and performed my job as expected. At the end of the day it was a job.

Quiet quitting is stealing, no matter how you look at it. From the company and from your team who depends on you.

Another one. Must be just bad luck maybe? Or something else? “ I have been laid off from almost every job I have ever had. While I don't know the criteria for the decisions this week, I do know some of the common key points that most every company uses, which were listed earlier, and they are correct”.

OMG, Too funny - “I was laid off too. Been quiet quitting for 6 months because I knew I would be targeted next” Call me naive but how about WORKING and PRODUCING. That’s possibly a good way to avoid a layoff?

K-12 and higher education layed off at least 8 account managers. We found out through other account managers.

Still no communication from leadership. Directs are finding out their managers are gone from other coworkers, not their laid off managers or their managers manager. Feels like they're pretending nothing has happened and we get hand smacked when we don't play along.

Lol i was told to work remotely to have a private place to talk for the meeting. Now I’m not allowed to return to the office at all now. I get that there was a violent disgruntled employee in the past but damn, that’s annoying.

I have been laid off from almost every job I have ever had. While I don't know the criteria for the decisions this week, I do know some of the common key points that most every company uses, which were listed earlier, and they are correct. Keep in mind that most every state in the US is an "at will" state, meaning you can leave for any reason, and you can be released for any reason as well. So CDW can decide they don't like your shoes (or any other reason) and you're gone. For those affected, my heart goes out to you. It would be nice if this news didn't come after the holidays.

This all reminds me of the tech bubble bursting in the early 2000. A lot of people were laid off throughout the country. What I learned from that era is what I know now. Companies only care about their bottom line. Companies have been letting people go by the thousands for years. A job is just a job with very little value other than a paycheck which is earned. Although I have never been laid off, I am prepared and it will be okay. For a softer landing, get and keep a second job. It can become your primary job in the event of a layoff.

I echo the sentiments that the advice shared to avoid layoffs are misguided. I think that people who haven’t been affected by layoffs inevitably try to rationalize why a particular coworker was let go, and it’s easy to point to that person’s performance, internal network, or BRG participation. But I can tell you that as someone who worked at CDW for more than ten years, I consistently outperformed my number, had many executive supporters, and served on multiple BRG boards and committees and was still laid off. At the end of the day, it’s about what CDW can report to the street. So if you’re in a department or on a team that doesn’t align with their strategic objectives; maybe you’re less tenured than others on your group, or simply represent a high payroll expense; there isn’t anything you can do to completely protect yourself from layoffs.

To those giving input on “how not to be laid off”, please know that what you suggest is completely irrelevant. 🙃 Must be nice to come from that privileged perspective, I’m willing to bet you haven’t been affected by layoffs before.

Here’s the jist of my experience:

• I was a top performer, winning awards and restricted stock in the company since I started at the company.
• My manager submitted a shining review for my 2023 performance, and I’ve always gotten overall 4s and a few goal-specific 5 scores on my PMPs.
• I was very active in BRGs, sometimes working an additional 10-20hrs a week for free to advance the strategic initiatives for the DEI team.
• I was invited to travel to multiple professional development conferences, based on referrals of peers for my team involvement and networking.
• I went to every local social event and had personal relationships with people in every job level, including executives.
• I was not at the top of my salary range, I was right in the middle. I was only in my role for 2 years.

The people in my layoff interview flat out refused to make any comment as to how the decisions were made when I asked them directly. It was “due to many factors” and “we’re not going to get into it, just know it’s final” and “how about we focus on how much we’re doing to support you now that you’re laid off”. They flat out refused to share the number of people affected. They refused to explain why my management was not involved or informed at all. To the rumors that this is performance based, the 2023 performance reviews have not even been finalized. I specifically asked them for a copy of my review and they said it wasn’t even complete yet. Those rumors are lies that are attempts are removing responsibility and accountability from the Directors and Executives making those decisions.

Big companies do not see you as a person, they see you as a number. You may have an awesome team, a supportive manager, and are good at your job, and there will always be a chance that someone that doesn’t even know you can and will pick you out to be removed. This is corporate America. You are not allowed to speak up, speak out, or step out of line. Do it anyway. Corporations are not human, the people working for them are.

I was laid off too. Been quiet quitting for 6 months because I knew I would be targeted next. I’m very vocal about social issues and was a change agent within the company.. I noticed that many of the people let go were also vocal change agents that wanted to build up the company. Clearly that is a one way ticket to being kicked out. CDW doesn’t want to change. Fu-k em, they take on projects for Trump and other horrible cringe customers, they don’t mean anything they say about coworker wellbeing. They don’t care. Period.

What’s with all of these layoffs? This is the 3rd-4th layoff in the past few years, number must go up for shareholder meetings!!

All these layoffs but Harold still has a job...

They will replace the roles with contractors.

Everyone is very on edge today on my team. Praying for everyone’s mental well being .

Lots of posts about managers being let go, any higher level people? Or just middle managers & workers?

Our team had a mix of performance layoffs (per PMP and revenue metrics) and some that seem like pay/leadership

Bit shocking they did this. They laid off my manager who is a senior guy and my whole project is like his brainchild. Not sure of our future now. Whole team devastated after hearing the news.

I was a coworker affected on the sales team. Not sure what the criteria was. I was tenured and had a decent backing… sad times.

So far there hasn't been clear communication on rationale other than #economy. However, it was telling in DV that 2 managers they let go it was said they are working on backfills for right away. Also heard of a handful of very valuable, impacting team members. Probably a combo of pay and leadership feeling like maybe some people didn't fit whatever the plan was.

The tips on how not to get fired are pretty spot on. Do good at your job, network with key players and bread-winners, don't be a target with a high salary or asking for promotions. Sadly this is not a season of getting the most recognition for your hard work. This is a season of keeping a job.

I’m wondering what the rationale is behind on who gets picked.

I work for CDW and I have seen nothing. When the last two layoffs happened, emails were sent out by the CEO to address it but nothing today. Also, last two times my team was impacted. There was a town hall meeting scheduled the same day. No one in my business unit has mentioned anything about layoffs. Why is this time a secret?

I will add one more thing to Anonymous’s list: Make sure your salary is not in the top 10% of your band. While it’s nice to get a raise, sometimes it’s better not to.

Does anyone have an idea how many were affected?

Easy steps for never getting laid off at CDW, or anywhere else, and sleeping well at night

1. Work harder than anyone that you know, particularly those on your team.
2. Be in a directly revenue generating role vs. a supporting role.
3. Don't be in the bottom 10% of said revenue generating role.
4. Don't be a jerk, a fool, or say or do d-mb and inappropriate things in customer, executive or partner meetings. Don't get drunk at the company party and so forth.
5. If you do find yourself in a supporting role, do everything you can to support those who are in revenue generating roles, as those people will stick up for you at all costs if you are good. If you are not, they won't.
6. Stay out of controversy, gossip and company politics. Please just do your job and do it well.

Those affected aren't allowed to discuss their severance package - it's in the release they have to sign to get it. Look at it this way - CDW let people get through the holidays and practically gave them a week off last week with Converge. The senior managers who were involved in these decisions didn't make them lightly - and they know their heads could be on the same block tomorrow. It's the economy.

Damn this so sad. I’m scared . Having a job with such uncertainty is distressing.

Very sorry this is happening....again.
Word seems to be spreading around, though.
Just can't believe this keeps happening.

Yes company wide and our upper leadership has been silent.

Was this company wide? I did not receive any email at all.

Curious what severance packages everyone is been receiving.