Thread regarding Nike Inc. layoffs

Have you tried being a woman? Preferably one of colour.

kiss *ss until your nose is brown.
As they say in Nike, it is not what you know but who you know.
Just do it. That is where that phrase came from.

Just my two cents worth

@dq as someone else in HR, what you said is all accurate except until the grade 55 and above level happens. Those are all strategically planned moves.

For anyone 50 and below, you’re going through the competitive application process. Unless you get lucky and promoted via a reorg which does happen, but don’t bet on it unless you have a guarantee.

And nothing in place to prevent hiring managers from still doing favoritism in "fair" open hiring. All it really does it delays things and makes it far more difficult for the employee to get a promotion. I can sort of understand it for IC->Mgr or M->D->SD but for SWE1 - 2 or 3, it's the same job, and not providing a growth path in role just leads to retention issues. Now not only does an employee have to wait for manager willing to promote them, but the laborious process of a new req getting created and assigned, and THEN competing with other unknown talents who may or may not be willing to lie to get the position. I.e. it only hurts the honest people, and helps the dishonest ones.

As someone in HR, the truth is there aren’t promotions really anymore. No one is going to tap you on the shoulder and say, “we want to promote you”. At just about any level. There needs to be an opening at the level above, you need to apply and go through the motions with everyone else. It’s Nike’s way of being “fair” without people promoting their friends and people they like vs the best possible candidate (in a perfect world).

Try and make it known you’re ready for the next level, try and get exposure and experience in work related to that level. And hopefully when an opening comes along, you’re the more obvious choice.

Yes, you will get a base pay increase and depending on level, a. Increase in PSP/stock.

Good luck

BJs!

@cb 10000% nailed it with their reply.

A rising salary just moves you up the Excel spreadsheet used for the RIF. I know, I know it sounds like a good idea (who doesn't like money)... but... just be aware.

I stayed under the radar for many years thanks to my bit lower than most pay.

I get where you’re coming from @cn. But go be a grump somewhere else. Consider the time & place.

This is a recent grad that seemingly doesn’t have a mentor they can trust with even the simplest of career questions.

Tech questions again? Let’s focus on what matters here. No one cares about tech

SWE I II & III get a salary bump. Everyone can sign up for the ESPP. Sometime during SWE II you’ll probably hit your 5-year anniversary which gives more PTO & lifetime swoosh access.

Tech Lead starts to make enough that you’re eligible for the deferred compensation plan (though 95% of people won’t find it useful). And a tiny increase in the annual bonus calculation.

Principal Engineer is when you start getting things like stock options and another few percentage points in bonus calculations.

Either way. The increasing levels of responsibility are almost never worth the salary increases. Junior engineers don’t have to play politics and are almost never let go, show up, work, keep your head down, clock out at the end of the day. At a certain level you’ll be handed a cellphone and will never be off the clock except for vacations in the middle of Alaska or the ocean (I am not kidding). The more senior you get the more you need to have a cross-company professional network because there’s a very good chance you’ll lose your job 1-2 years after any senior leadership change when they bring in their inner circle.
There’s a reason 65% of people that make Lead or Manager return to SWE III as soon as they can. This isn’t grade school where climbing the ladder shows your capability & self-worth. We’re just working for a paycheck & trying to find the workload we can most easily tolerate.

this is OP, do the promotion come with pay increase and more rewards?

SWE I is easy. Do the thing, wait, get the reward.
Put in the effort, learn, become useful to the team without micromanagement, listen to the direction given at all levels (week by week, quarter, and annual). You’ll become a SWE II within 18-30 months, possibly less.

Beyond SWE II takes effort AND luck.

The effort makes you eligible, the luck means there’s an opening available in the org chart. This means you need to already be doing your goal job for at least 12 months (Nike HR moves on annual-review time, not human time scales) just to be in the running.
There are hundreds of people across the company, and tens of thousands outside, that want what you want. A manager (but really, the sr director makes 90% of these choices) doesn’t need to take a risk on someone actively growing into the role, they will choose someone already proven capable.

Not good enough?
Network. Make sure you are playing every last game of musical chairs at Nike, not just waiting years for your team to turn on the music a single time.
Or. Join a high turnover team. The teams where even go-getters say “Hah. I know better than to join that squad.” It will be miserable. The turnover exists for a reason. But if you can handle 1-2 years hating everything about your life, without taking it out on family & pets, there’s a good chance you’ll land that promotion. Make a meaningful & visible impact? You’ll rise even faster. I managed to pull it off and all it cost me was a touch of alcoholism.

In the words of our dear leader - we are not a technology company so there’s no clear path for career or promotions. Needing to apply and interview for your promotion is a joke process.

Find another open role and apply

Tell Muge she had a great marathon time.