I didn’t realize how sick Wells Fargo made me until I left last May. I’d gained weight, couldn’t sleep, and lived with constant anxiety. It took at least six months before my body started feeling like it belonged to me again. Sadly, the mental part takes even longer. I’m still recovering.
Part of it was dealing with a horrible bully of a manager for so long, but the overall culture played a role too. I genuinely hope more people decide to leave. It can be life changing.
I really thought I was aware of how bad the toll was on my mental health but it was even worse than I thought. So happy to be gone.
You can't operate in flight-or-flight mode for literal years without paying a physical price for it.
I spent 10 years at WF, the first 6 or 7 were fine then it went downhill fast. Was let go last March. Lucky enough to land another gig into my 60 days but negotiated start date to the week after I was terminated. Double dipped during severance. Took a $60k pay cut but fully remote and the bank I work at is great. I remember the first few days after being displaced, was surreal but I had a good attitude about it all. Having a good network of friends in the financial services industry helped! WF was the worst employer ever and I’m 58 years old! Good luck to you all.
@aa
Create a hostile environment, Constructive discharge,
All of things are illegal under eeoc.
Me too.
Suffering under Indian manager.
Seeing therapist weekly
The place is a toxic hellhole. No amount of money is worth it if you have to sacrifice your wellness in the process.
Studies have proven that stack ranking doesn't work. Companies largely abandoned the practice as a result. Look at GE and Microsoft as prime MBA case studies. There is no such thing as objective calibration or stack ranking and it really just ends up harming the culture, which in turn ends up harming productivity. This combined with a steady stream of never ending layoffs will lead to systemic collapse. It may take a few years, but eventually Wells Fargo will be embroiled in new scandals as more and more people find ways to cut corners to survive.
For all the people who were meets or exceeds last year, well, let me tell you, now you're competing with all of the other meets and exceeds people this year. It only takes a few years before it becomes an unsustainable fight to the death for everyone. When only your "superstar" employees are left, suddenly you are in a situation of "too many chefs in the kitchen" and it gets ugly, fast.
Also note the increasing competition with your peers in India. They are constantly seeking more power and control. Before long, they will be the biggest kid in the room and the folks in the US will be the subservient teams following their lead. I already see this happening where directors who used to have a lot of clout are now having to bend the knee to some Indian who was placed above them. The sycophancy and a-s kissing to survive is gross.
What is most frustrating about all of this is the resulting urgency and productivy theater. 99% of the urgency is fabricated and we're giving up our well being for things that ultimately don't really matter in the end. Literally everyone around me on some level is fabricating busy work in order to compete and survive. Instead of having the space to do higher order thinking, everyone is trying to appear very productive because their survival depends on it. But is it really productive? Mostly not. It's just creating new bureaucratic layers that ultimately slow the engine down.
LOL Wells Fargo did not make any of you apply to the company or stay at the company. 'They' didn't do a thing to you.
And @a7, don't try pulling others into your pity party. YOU are responsible for YOU.
I too had to take many months to physically and mentally recover from the toxic trauma WF had placed upon me. Being a manager, I pushed back and tried to protect the team reporting to me - which was met with frustration by leadership. I know, ethically and morally, I was doing the right thing but also realized it was also leading to the premature ending of my career. Almost 30 years of loyal service, working 12-14 hour days for months, sacrificing my health and happiness until the glorious day I got my golden ticket. My manager was a bit shocked I was so happy, but I knew I was not far from a nervous breakdown and had a boat load of severance to get me through the next year.
I think we all become resistant to change, no matter how bad the environment we are enduring at our jobs - breeding anxiety and additional stress. But being able to see it clearly in the rearview, departing the Stagecoach was a lifesaver for me. And I hope the same for all of you who will follow. Best wishes in your next chapter!
Its amazing what people will put up with to make 30% more than anywhere else and still get 40+ days of PTO a year.
I've reflected a lot on this as well. Was displaced as of 9/30/25. I drank heavily, was mean to the family, and non-social to an extreme.
Post displacement - I didn't need to drink anymore at all. Like flipping a light switch. I've had far more patience with the family, and have started to enjoy simple things, like fresh air and sunny days. Its remarkable!
And I've made new friends, and reached out to old ones I'd ghosted.
Frankly - a new lease on life.
I had no idea how bad, I mean BAD the toxic environment is at WF. I had some special circumstances caused by WF management that really disrupted me emotionally, reputationally, and mentally. All that is behind me as I no longer have to face it every day. I'm slowly recovering and I get to spend time with my family now. Previously, my worth was my job and how much I made.
Now it is not - and I feel so much better not being at WF.