Obviously no one wants to be laid off, but the fact is that the company has decided they want less stay, and want to operate differently.
What would everyone consider a “reasonable” or truly transparent way for them to have approached this?
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The Company wants you to quit on your own! NO severance plan that way.............
@1ttd+165Ddjv8
"Exciting Times!"
This company can’t develop or execute on a plan to save its life. I really think they are playing this all by ear. They probably know the $ amount they need to get to, but the how is being made up as they go along. No communication, except what you hear from people you know in other areas. Meanwhile, there’s a sword hanging over our heads every day. Are we having fun yet?
Yes please to early retirement for those with tenure!
The post by Your Loss says it all.
I'm not feeling very confident that we will know much more until several more months goes by. By the sounds of a meeting we had today, the final results aren't known and the 7/29 Town Hall will not disclose anything more then what has been accomplished since the last Town Hall. This reorginization is huge, many moving parts.
Truthfully, the absolutely most unreasonable part of this whole thing as requiring multi decade employees to take a personality test to see if you’re suited to the job...
The job is not changing that much... it’s dealing with customers... if you’ve been doing that successfully for 20 plus years and getting good business results you’re clearly suited for the job and you’ve dealt with multiple changes... it’s total BS
The first and most damning issue for most of the workforce was the town hall that told us how successful the work at home deployment was, How the company was financially solid and that there would be no layoffs due to COVID. It was a play on words and gave everyone a false sense of security. Had we been told then about "Transformative Growth" and the reduction in workforce, families may have made different choices on how to run their households during the pandemic. Some families had only one income due to not being deemed "essential". That initial town hall was dishonest and misleading to the employees.
When the June town hall announced that there would be layoffs in the "thousands", but again, not related to COVID, the workforce was blindsided and shocked. No one was expecting those announcements as the town hall prior set the tone for how well were doing and stated that no jobs were being considered for layoffs. It was a complete 180. The word "transparent" was used repeatedly and this has been anything but. I won't even comment on "the blacks" or judgement of "tattooed" people.
Fast forward to July - here an entire workforce has spent almost 6 weeks on pins and needles wondering if they are going to lose their jobs during a pandemic in one of the weakest job markets in recent history. We have been given droplets of information that amount to nothing, nor do they do anything to ease our minds. Yet, we are all working to meet or exceed our metrics and deliver top tier customer service despite being treated with complete disregard for our feelings or contributions to Allstate.
Every single coworker I have spoken with is under a tremendous amount of stress and worry. This could have all been avoided with true transparency by making the announcement in the town hall prior while presenting a clearly defined plan with areas being effected and those remaining safe. By letting us know step by step with firm dates as to how this would all play out. Instead, we have been told about non-disclosures and given vague timelines as if they want to keep us in line working away while they make the final preparations to pull our jobs out from under us. They have shown each and every one of us that they are just another heartless corporation. All of this "Bring Out the Good" nonsense and Leadership Principles we are to conduct ourselves by is a farce. They use US to make THEM look good while taking all the credit for all of our good deeds.
I realize this is a business, and people are in business to make money. However, at what expense? Those of us that truly bled blue and believed in Allstate do no longer. They will never be number 2, because they don't have the heart or the driving force (us) to get there. Choose wisely Allstate, because not all of us are replaceable and the details of you mishandling your "Transformative Growth" during a pandemic has ruined your reputation in the marketplace. The truth always comes out.
Best of luck to everyone.
This is the 2nd insurance company I've worked for that has had large scale layoffs and comparing how each company handled the situation is night and day.
The first company had site wide meetings of the affected employees and the lay offs were announced at that meeting. The layoffs were then disclosed company wide to be transparent. Unlike Allstate leadership announcing that "thousands" of jobs would be cut and then waiting weeks/months to disclose who is being affected along with being secretive about the layoffs.
The first company clearly outlined the severance policy and other important policies employees needed to know about at that meeting. Unlike Allstate's vague statements that the company will be fair and considerate.
If what some people are reporting is true and Allstate is forcing people into other positions, that differs greatly from the first company who allowed people to choose if they wanted to take another position or not.
The layoffs at the first company were based solely on performance/tenure in cases where some employees were being retained. Unlike Allstate's use of an assessment that employees will have no way of validating the usage of since the company has stated they will not release any results because of privacy concerns. I find that explanation suspect as I'm not sure how privacy would be breached by telling people their numerical rating so I'm of the mind that the assessment is mainly a way for Allstate to keep certain employees and/or get rid of certain employees who would not be retained/laid off if the decision was based on solely merit/tenure.
Most importantly, although I have no doubt that it wasn't necessarily sincere the first company at least made a show of being regretful about the layoffs. Unlike Allstate. This is the aspect that I find most disgusting about the whole situation-the completely tone deaf statements from Allstate's leadership (who made sure that their jobs were secure).
You mean Eric "Mr. Exciting Times" Brandt? Reasonable? Surely you are attempting to be amusing.
I implore you to go and educate yourself on the definition of the term "reasonable".
While you're at it also see "obtuse".
Happy evening to you!
I've now experienced both types of layoffs. I've been brought in a room and told the site is closing in 90 days and now this. They both stink. If the company chooses to operate differently and layoff people it's with in their right. I think there is no good way to do it.
However, these would have made it more bearable for myself:
- I would say it could have been done swifter. People should have been told with in 2 week a of that initial announcement. This waiting game is not only having negative effects on individuals, but the productivity is out the window.
- It should have been delayed until after the pandemic if it could have been afforded.
- They could have held off on the stock but back if they knew they would be laying off 1000's
- They should have done the layoffs before the announcement of a $4bil purchase with 9000 new bodies. That's a pretty big slap in the face to the people that built ALL and are facing elimination.
- They could have started with a voluntary early retirement program to allow those that wanted to leave to do so and re-access their staffing and need for RIFS.
Lastly, I believe the leaders should not have implied there would not be layoffs, knowing full well of this plan, on the town hall early on in the pandemic. That is not transparent.
Don't make us wait 6+ weeks after announcing it!
Of the group, Eric Brandt is the only one who I would say has a history or being reasonable.
These people are not capable of being "reasonable". They never have been in the past and never will be in the future.
The corporate hoods know damn well what is going on, who is out (assessments are just a bunch of arse covering legal malarkey), and when. They simply are sorry egotistical arrogant POS who think because of their name and title that they don't owe or have to show respect to their fellow man. They throw out sick, insulting phrases like "transparency" when they have no intentions of showing any and "exciting times" which to me at this juncture is just disgusting expression behavior. All I ask as an employee is some honesty, straight forwardness, and respect. I won't even say transparency as they have no idea of the definition of that phrase. These are some sick, nasty people and at this point I see nothing they can do at this point to "fix" how poorly they handled and communicated this. The amount of arrogance, disrespect, and downright dishonesty through this whole thing should almost be considered criminal.
Reasonable, for me, would have been a readily executable plan. You don't tell 30k plus people that layoffs are imminent without having a solid timetable and plan that's ready to be rolled out.
I thought the work from home was very well handled; they were prepping us for it before they rolled it out and, when they did, it was mostly successful (glitches here and there are acceptable on something that big).
This lay off is the opposite of that. The timetable was wrong; we thought we'd know something last week. No one has yet to clarify severance. No one has yet to clarify whether we'll be forced to post for any other positions or what. No one has explained if an entire work group gets assessed or just certain individuals (my guess is everyone but, again, that is MY GUESS). I'm in claims. I have no idea how my group will be impacted. Shouldn't the company have known that already?
When you keep saying "transparent", etc, etc, you lose all credibility when there's nothing to support your statement. It's insulting.
Announce layoffs and do them timely, not months of waiting and unknowns, where possible offer other positions and relocations but still offer severance if other positions can’t/won’t work for the affected employee. Months of stress and anxiety is truly affecting my health at this point and we still have months to go.