Thread regarding Gartner Inc. layoffs

Another casualty here of the pushing people out game that seems to be sport at this point. Long tenure and many WC meant nothing - have to assume I cost too much $$$. Gartner isn’t what it used to be and would never recommend the place it’s become.

I was a Manager who pushed back on interest of "Coaching" (LOLLLL) or a PIP where it was due to economic market conditions around us vs. the actual person. I was part of the formal lay off - if you don't drink the koolaide and try to protect your team - they will get YOU and your team. I still slept well with my integrity in check - and my former team is currently and awaiting to follow me.

@afm I am sorry that you had this experience. Anyone who gets a PIP at Gartner should just make plans to leave. In my experience, PIPs often reflect bullying and scapegoating by managers. (I used to be a manager there.)

Managers try to impress upper management by showing management "courage" - ie willingness to let people go. The person chosen for departure can be selected for many reasons- where they live, their coverage area, or demographic reasons/bias. It's not about you - it's about a company that used to have a moral Compass but lost it along the way.

I was pushed out. It started with a negative and untrue claim made by a coworker, which I told my manager was untrue and I could prove that it was untrue. It fell on deaf ears and my manager continued to hold it against me. Then, I had a meeting with my managers boss and once again said it was untrue and that I could prove it. They said they “take this stuff seriously and would investigate it”. They never investigated it or responded to me.

Shortly after I was put on a PIP over the holidays and worked my a** off during the hardest time of the year to reach the high metrics - I did. After hitting all the metrics on my pip I had a call with my manager and HR to review how I did. I was thinking thank god I passed and I’m done with this - nope. HR said “this is not something we usually do, but we’re going to extend your PIP another 60 days”. WHAT!

I once again worked unpaid overtime and carried a lot of stress to pass the PIP extension, which I did. I was laid off shortly after “due to economic times”.

Yeah actually and it was an unofficiall one first very unreasonable the metrics were unrealistic (i was penalised for planned PTO effecting my metrics compared to the rest of my team and i hit all the other marks) then moved to a formal one and i eventually just went out sick until they offered to pay me out and it was a decent severance package but an incredibly stressful time i wouldnt even bother with doing the work on the job and just job hunt

I was pushed out, fought it as long as I could, highlighted the metrics that were unrealistic and it fell on deaf ears. Know another person who was moved from an unofficial PIP to official because they hit all but one metric which was missed by half a percentage point

@315 I did push against it. I was terminated shortly thereafter for management shortcomings.

@2fm I appreciate your honest response. I could totally tell they have a “PIP playbook” - I know there are likely some circumstances where some type of PIP is required. But not all, I think you either are with group think or not. Did you ever feel bad or feel it was unwarranted for someone else? If so, why didn’t you push against it? Just seems like a ton of kool aid drinkers.

@2gb it looks exactly like the examples below. 60 day plan. Everything in it is subjective, not one or at the very best 1-2 documented examples. Usually includes things that could mean anything like “not strategically aligned”, “unclear strategy and communications”, “doesn’t exemplify culture”. At best they’ll work with 1 or 2 employees who dislike you behind the scenes (not hard to find in a company their size) and coax them to submit inflated or misrepresented complaints to HR. Best part is, usually these complainers are low performers themselves and are baited with advancement.

@1qr Yes, I did this, too. It surprised my lawyer. Solid payout.

@2fm Could you please enlighten us on this template and talk track? How does it look, sound? You would be doing many who are going through this sadistic practice a favor.

I admit to both doing it as a manager at Gartner and then as a complete surprise had it turned back on me. They literally have a template and talk track to put people on fake surprise 60 day pips and removal. I had glowing performance reviews, high bonus payouts, and covered my a-s every which way before they showed up at my doorstep. Complete surprise. Spoke to multiple employment lawyers who said it was some of the lowest shadiest sh-t they’ve seen, but not illegal because after all “at will”. This all spiked up early 2025 too when stock began to crater. Company is quietly dying and treating ppl like garbage on their way out.

@qx they tried to exit me via constructive dismissal - I threatened to sue them and they paid me multiple months wages to walk away.

If you have a good case, good documentation and a good deal of courage, Gartner can be a goldmine!

Exiting Gartner with cash was the highlight of my years with them. Total sh!storm going from bad to worse.

@qf Part of the reason why Gartner does these things without consequences: Stamford is a news desert. There is no major newspaper with investigative reporters. There is no major university sending interns and discussing what they've seen back in class. There is no major spiritual leader to call out mistreatment of people.

It's just a bunch of wealthy businesses alongside a somewhat disenfranchised group of locals. So, you get Purdue Pharma and Oxycontin. And, you get WWF. And, you get Gartner.

Below is an incident in which an employee faced s-xual harassment from her manager at Gartner (UK). After she rejected the advances, her treatment at work deteriorated, ultimately leading to her resignation. She brought a claim to an employment tribunal, which upheld her constructive unfair dismissal claim and some of her s-xual harassment claims.

https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1753082/sales-executive-victim-s-xual-harassment-boss-made-advances-called-good-girl-tribunal-rules

There is plenty of information and documentation on this specific case online.

If you feel you are in this "constructive dismissal" zone, document everything and it could be rational to reach out to an employment lawyer.

Gartner is all about best practices for other firms, but it has clung tightly to stack-ranking despite evidence of the harm it does.

Probably because the harm is outweighed by how much it helps the company with managing risks from unemployment lawyers when it's going through lean times, like now.

There's way too much arrogance there. I would like to see adversity change that.

I have about 30 days before I get managed out. My manager surprised me with a PIP that seemed to have caused an immediate 180 on how we have interacted ever since. I really do not care to perform given the unrealistic requirements. I thought Gartner was my dream job, but it turned out to the my worst mistake for my career. I urge anyone on PIP to just look for a new role for the 60 day assessment. It's not worth your time or sanity.

@gs I witnessed a lot of good people (talent/performance/character wise) getting shoved out, or "managed out" when I was there. At least two I remember were in tears after their first 'improvement' plan meeting and remained in constant fear, stress for their remaining time at the company.

Triggering the WARN act would certainly put a stain on Gartner's reputation so it most probably, at least by the looks of it, resorts to "salami slicing".

@hq A big salute to you. You sound like a manager that actually was concerned with developing and nurturing talent.

I was a manager who resisted putting people on plans. I was then managed out myself. I had been a top Talent developer for a long time. Many people that I hired and trained remain at the top of Research today in leadership roles.

Then I got assigned to a VP who started every management meeting by focusing on how many people we could put on plans, and how fast we could move those plans along. That ruined my job.

What makes it especially weird is that one of Gartner's lead HR lawyers told me that their daughter worked for a top Democratic Senator in a key labor policy role. As they say, you just can't make this stuff up.

@fw Classic gatekeeping by Gartner management. I wonder why they are allergic to talent?

They will start to push for “managing out” as there has been too many reductions, severance payments, and triggering WARN. Performance management is top of mind. I am sure so many were placed in Improvement needed bucket to start performing out or being added to a list. I hate Gartner the most unethical company.

This happens ALL the time at Gartner. I personally know three high performers who were put on a plan, successfully completed it, and then had their lives at work made a living he-l with ridiculous mandatory documentation of all of their daily activities before quitting within a month.

@ev Thanks for sharing. I was too. Sorry that you went through that.

The reason I posted the question here was out of curiosity. Many on this forum have been laid off (which is without doubt horrible also!). However, many, I am sure, have been "managed out". This often doesn't make it to the headlines as a layoff, cost-cutting etc.

Yes. Hmm, why?