When a department needs to RIF they look at the numbers. So in theory if you are a high salary earner your manager would need to justify your value to the company. If you are an excellent employee with great reviews but don’t have a good relationship with your manager then you most likely will be a candidate for the RIF right?? Or does the manager have no say in the decision ?
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Of course it’s personal … being fired is with cause. Being RIF’d is by discretion. There are other people still filling the role you once filled. Why you? … Someone cheaper? … that’s a extremely simplistic view of the value you bring and that’s personal.
I was part of the Sept/Oct 2023 RIF, and I can tell you that it sure feels personal- no matter what they say.
I had been here 21 years and never in trouble and met production etc
I’ll never know why I was picked. They couldn’t be honest and just tell me.
I've seen management RIF a problem employee before.
I was RIFd a few years ago. Having worked in corporate for a long time, I can tell you this - yes, it could be personal, but when there is many across multiple departments on the same date, it's about numbers. Each department end will be asked to give up a name or two (or more) to meet their department cuts.
You can take it personally, like I did, having won awards, got along with so many people across the org, had a great year but then -- bo-m. You're just a number. It's not a family. It's not your dad's corporate environment. Work, be great, get paid, then turn off.
Don't worry about it folks. Your manager will get RIFed next. This is how it works. While your manager is planning on which team member to get rid of. Their manager has been asked to do the same...
Not true - Replaced by a younger person in my role exact role who happens to be 100% remote and no problem with that.
No. This past January I had to RIF a beloved lead from my team. It was a blow to morale. Next month I have to do it again with other direct reports.
"When a department needs to RIF they look at the numbers. So in theory if you are a high salary earner"
- False
This not part of any evaluation. The total headcount needing to be reduced comes from above. That's it.
Getting along with your manager always helps. If you are a good performer it helps as I have the discretion to pick anyone on the team.
Very few managers want to RIF anyone on their team. Even if the manager is not particularly good or nice, the manager doesn't want a smaller team - it puts their own role at risk. But if the manager is told to identify 1-2 people, they will do that. They will select the individuals they feel that they can most easily do without. So the people they select could be viewed as lower performers, or for a personality, or it might have nothing to do with the person but the are in a role that is easier to shift or split up responsibilities to the rest of the team.
Managers have some discretion. They need to provide a justification. So a person with good reviews could be selected for RIF if the manager wants to get rid of the person for a personal reason, what would happen is the manager would need to come up with a justification of overlapping responsibilities or why that person/role is less necessary to team success