I have a very obvious target at my back. Seems like they are giving me time to find something else BUT I will NOT leave without the package!
How long do I have left before I’m WFRd?
How long did you wait?
Also, I could pull the reverse card and go on another burnout leave but at this stage I wouldn’t mind the package and unemployment for a bit.
2023...and you haven't moved on???
Let’s see - I was laid off in Aug of 2023, but the obvious idea to push me out of my role began the February before. In that case, even though it was obvious what this leader was doing (trying to put in one of their less qualified favorites), and even though I brought the issue to leadership and others, nothing was done to protect me. Dell has turned into a terrible place to be, which is too bad because having had been with the company (well, EMC first), it was a great place to work. Then they hired incompetent people into leadership roles that tanked that. Sad.
To add insult to injury they force you to finish ethics and compliance.
I was quartered, disembowled and my head cut off. Each limb was sent to the various corners of Dell. Freeeeddddooomm
For me, it was about two months prior to getting laid off (with the package and all of that) that it seemed like things were getting "weird."
Manager asking me tons of very specific things and asking me to back up my most business-critical files/plans/spreadsheets/process docs to a new network space, joining me for calls with our customers which clearly were their attempt to get more acquainted with them and to prep to pick up the slack for me after my departure, etc.
I saw the writing on the wall.
@a1 short term disability. go to a doctor and easily get a depression or anxiety diagnosis. submit your short term disability claim. chill for a couple months.
@OP , I asked the boss for a package in June of '24 and got RiFed May of '25. Did everything I could, short if insubordination, to manage myself out of the bidness. No volunteering, use all paid time off, take FMLA leave and quiet quit.
They only put people on PIPs in small business sales, because everywhere else it would expose the truth that quotas are fake and there’s no objective way to measure performance.
@eg Haven't heard of anyone in dev getting a PIP either. Plenty of support folks get PIPs though. Everyone I know that has taken any kind of leave has been PIPed upon their return. There's also 2 that I know of that went to HR to complain about their manager and we're put on a PIP a few weeks later. I took a few weeks off after having shoulder surgery and was also put on a PIP, but shockingly the goals I was given were very reasonable and I was able to keep my job.
seems like it is sales people that are the unhappiest and the ones being put on PIP. I don't know of anyone on a PIP in software dev.
I had about 4 months of agony before I left Dell. I was in sales and my manager had put me on a coaching plan despite having a solid quarter.
Their issue with putting me on a plan was my “activity metrics.” I tried my best with the BS metrics and actual selling within my account set, but i saw the writing on the wall. I was barely at my desk, rather i was taking interviews and applying nonstop in the office. Someone actually snitched to my manager that I was applying to jobs too. I remember one day we had some dipsh-t from the ELT team presenting, I skipped that to interview instead lol. 5 days in office - have to get real busy with interviews and applying
Around the time I was formally presented with a PIP, i was closing in on three offers. I could either take the PIP and try to bring in $500k in revenue in 4 weeks (I had maybe $200k worth of actionable pipeline that could close) or self terminate with two months pay. I took the latter and signed off on an offer 2 weeks later lol (with a pushed out start date too). That month and a half of pretty much a paid vacation was amazing. Good to mentally reset from Dell, travel through Europe, and now I really enjoy my new job.
There were times where things seemed really desperate and difficult. My mental health was in the drain, I was snacking like crazy, and just overall sad. Now life is good, I enjoy my job, I’m healthier, and I have more control over my life. Keep interviewing and keep pushing your way out of Dell, you’ll make it one way or another.
@cw It's the exact opposite on my team. I'm the only non-remote owrson left since March.
Ha…. in case you haven’t noticed the remote employees are 63% of fired / layoffs. When things kick in next few months w new targets the Remote are first to go. I know they are not working 9-10 for DT…. but traveling, meeting friends, milking employee benefits
The trick is too actually go into work and continue to do your best job, it will pi-s them off more and they will just offer the separation package. You are playing the game and to be honest since I have left, I am the happiest I have ever been. I was incredibly unhappy and borderline depressed with that place that I will take a massive pay cut and do UBER or anything else full time. I know now that the next "job" I take has to be one I am absolutely committed about. I don't want to make decisions based on money again.
It started when India became the priority.
@be I'm going through this s..t now. My manager has become very picky on me, even making derogatory comments about me during 121s. He knows that I know enough work related cr-p to have him hit hard, so he's trying to push me out. But, my skin is very thick, so , goodluck to this S-B...
An absolute S-B of a manager kept trying to push me out despite my top performance. It went on forever and drove me up the wall , I came close to kicking his fu--ing a-s. I finally left for another team. Sc--w that guy. Don’t let people walk over you; if management’s the problem, take it to HR. I’m usually reasonable, but push me hard enough and I’ll respond in kind. Fu----s.
3 years but stress n depression
I've been rotting away in this chair for 14 years, no exercise outside of work because by the time i got home I would lay on the couch and do nothing but doom scroll. I finally started incorporating a gym routine because my health is rapidly declining and I need to make changes..
@ap I work out and eat right as well. However there is a significant genetic component at play that sometimes cannot be overcome with a healthy lifestyle. I was diagnosed with hypertension in my early 40s, just like my dad and his dad.
2 years, give or take. Didn't leave for the same reason and just waited it out to get the money. No idea if it was worth it in the end, should probably have left earlier.
Sleepless nights, constant stress, no energy to go to the gym, weight gain coupled with drinking too much was the price I paid.
So glad that sh-t is behind me.
@ak I don’t have high blood pressure. I work out and eat right.
Please take this seriously. I didn't realize how bad it was getting, but I was working my tail off out of fear of the WFR for at least a year. My immediate colleagues kept getting impacted, but I was always kept...until I wasn't. I was putting on a happy and enthusiastic face to impress my management and business partners - extra hours, positive attitude, extra Hoshin projects, committees. I was doing the best and most impactful work of my career.
Meanwhile, I was developing anxiety, which I powered through. I was gaining weight. I wasn't sleeping well, so i was always exhausted. To compensate for this, I was drinking 4 shots of espresso in the morning and a few more in the evening. I was drinking a few nights a week. I was putting on a smile and fighting like heck to keep my 20+ year job to make sure I could support my family and make them proud. I got my WFR meeting last fall.
Find a way to take care of yourself, because you might be in a worse spot than you realize. When I left Dell, my eyes were opened to how toxic the environment had become and how I was letting my mental and physical health take a toll. I was able to land on my feet really quickly with a great company, and rebuild my health and sanity. Good luck!
@a1 were you able to get your high blood pressure down without meds as well? If yes, please tell me how? I’d much rather su-k it up as well instead of taking meds that affect your memory and has other side effects!
What’s a burn out leave? I mean I’ve burnt out at jobs, but su-ked it up and pushed on.
You're a joke.
@a1 I don’t know what country you’re in but I usually go to the family doctor, tell all about the toxic sh-t that’s happening at work, how it’s making me feel and other physical symptoms, such as migraines, high blood pressure etc and they give a medical cert plus suggest counselling. Sometimes psychiatrist to extend it if the symptoms have not improved by the time your cert has expired.
I mean, you must have real symptoms which I’m sure almost everyone who works for Dell has at this stage.
My longest burnout leave was two months! I had to see a counsellor and surprisingly it helped and I stayed but my manager was not the same ever since I came back, hence I am being targeted now!
Please share how you go on burnout leave cause I have been burnt out for the last 6 years and just keep pushing through every day.