I am not impacted, but I sympathize with everyone who is and I wish you luck to get new, better opportunities. I started looking for a new job myself, because I am more than disappointed with the way the layoffs were managed here.
The story I heard from several people was that they were disappointed by very poor communication and that the company, after many years of their loyalty, treated them like dirt in the layoff process.
If layoffs had to happen, couldn't they have been carried out so that the people who have done so much for this company don't leave feeling bitter about it?
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Christian Klein and his white boy club of loon alike and sound alike leaders are the worst and will run this company into the ground. I left 20+ years of hard work behind because I couldn’t take the level of mediocre CK allowed. I am so sorry for everybody who will be let go. Many of you did not deserve it. Had I stayed I would have been one of you.
Can we agree we just have bad leadership across the boards and levels? I am working bee but everything is just so chaotic with new themes every year, so many weird highly paid titles with no real accountability, and manager from top to bottom who’s just talking like smart corporate robot. Customer know about it that’s why they don’t see value moving ECC to S4 if it’s not value adding. Let’s see what happen when SAP can go longer suck maintenance fee from on Prem customer
It is no longer about the customer, nor their outcomes.
To those impacted, I wish to well. I hope you find a better employer. To the rest, try to hold the leadership accountable. Otherwise perhaps a shareholder proposal on how future restructurings are handled.
As others have summarized the process was stressful, demoralizing, and wholly unnecessary. Board - you own that.
Left SAP in December 2022, left a very bad taste in my mouth. Employee sentiment in CSS is at an all time low. Many employees openly want a voluntary program to cash in on years of service and escape the chaos. Heacount freeze and current delivery backlog has paralysed CSS - too many managers with clipboards and not enough delivery pros after that all got cut in 2015.
Usual poor communication from the Board, a huge and completely ineffective regional management layer and inert local management who wait for the higher ups to deliver strategy and instructions that never come. I worry for the future of SAP after Luca and soon enough Hasso too.
To those impacted by this first round of layoffs, take the money and move on to bigger and better things. Good luck.
I get your point. As my office will most likely be largely unaffected. And all logic points towards my team being at least unaffected. As it is very central to the future strategy that they outlined. If we are affected, it doesn't make sense and I've no idea what they are at.
But even with that logic, there is that fear. And I agree that the process in Europe has been dragged out and workers council should have been involved much much earlier so people that mostly likely won't be affected can get on with work without unnecessary stress and worry. Still up to 5 or 6 weeks away going by timelines we were told.
It's not clear to everyone, but the workers council is fighting to ensure anyone in an affected role can retain a job in another SAP role and they don't lose their job. This is contributing towards this long delay. While there is comfort knowing what they are trying to achieve, they really should have been invited last year so announcements are quicker and people know where they stand. I know my motivation has been affected until all is clarified. And I doubt I'm unique in that.
My original point was more so about how it was handled for confirmed layoffs in the US for example. Where employment laws are not as so strict as in the EU. But there is definitely unnecessary panic and fear allowed to spread in the EU offices.
@ngu+1lcP20LT I'd take a large meeting with a checklist and proper communication, or even being locked out of laptop overnight, rather than the months of drawn out nonsense that is currently going on and seeing the fallout. Those affected would at least know swiftly and the large unaffected numbers of colleagues are not unnecessarily stressed for months on end. Other poster mentioning voluntary attrition may have had a point, sad to think that that would be by design.
I was told yesterday but still don't have the severance details in writing. Only verbal during the meeting. You'd think they have it all ready to go. I can technically keep working until 4/19
What I've heard from people I personally know affected through travelling from Europe for onsite engagements in the US over the years, is vastly different from what I've read here online.
There was some aspect of a writing is on the wall for a while due to a slow down in work, their area getting somewhat left behind in future strategy, etc. After the announcement there were rumblings and a sort of expectation they might be impacted. And then they got confirmation via meetings with management. They have a notice period for which they will be paid and a decent severance package. Not a world beater but fairly good if you end up employed elsewhere quickly.
Not defending SAP or nothing as my level of caring for SAP doesn't extend too much beyond a paycheck. But I also personally have friends affected by big US multinationals and how they were treated was disgraceful. Informed in large meetings like going through a check list. And instantly had badge, laptop and access taken away. Granted there was a decent severance package in those cases too. But the manner seems night and day from what I've personally heard from people I know affected by SAP restructuring.
It sucks and I hope anyone affected gets a job as quickly as possible and the severance ends up being a nice bonus of sorts. But I'm interested to hear how the layoff was handled by anyone affected to see how much it differs from what I've heard from friends/colleagues.
All this is intentional IMHO as they also want to influence the voluntary attrition. When was the last time employees felt this bad about the company?
It speaks to the attitude and ineptitude of the board. It's appalling the way the layoffs are being conducted, even individuals who were informed they are being let go are now waiting again for more information. In Europe our org will be impacted but it may be another 6 weeks before we know who's being let go. Morale is on the floor. The level of stress for so many is unbelievable, especially given that most may be unaffected, so will have been entirely unnecessary.
I've never come across a more sure-fire way to demotivate potentially tens of thousands of people, most of whom previously cared deeply about their work.