Thread regarding CDW layoffs

One day someone will take CDW to court and not settle. Someone will expose how awful CDW is.

@ak Great question. I think the answer is that you have a bigger and more systemic problem on your hands.

@4gz If they're licensed to practice in your state you can use any lawyer. If they specialize in labor law, you typically don't have to pay up front retainer fee before they represent you and the fee is based on a % of amount won but it may depend on how strong your case is. So who has some names of Chicago area lawyers who've been successful ?? Where do you check to see previous cases against cdw and what law firms were involved?

If you live in a different state, can you still use the Chicago law firm?

@3js What's the name of your Chicago-based law firm? I'd like to contact them.

@OP - A former employer of mine (Fortune 100) tried the "voluntary" and "involuntary" separation that you describe. It worked out very poorly for them, as they ended up losing significantly more people than anticipated in total. Some people were designated as "essential" and they were not given this option. A year later, they had to hire back some people who would only come back with signing bonuses including yours truly. CDW is in a very different position (financially, ethically, market place) than this former employer. I just don't see CDW thinking about it that much. They'll go to their standard operating procedure, and try to bully people into taking crumbs for their years of service.

I agree with others that the best way to handle is to get a Chicago-based employment lawyer. I've already looked into it (I have my firm already picked out) should it come to that. I know for a fact at my previous employer, it costs them $250K (a few years ago) just in internal legal fees to handle these type of employment cases. I'm not in a position where I need the 2-4 months pay. I would absolutely fight it. They do not want to go to court if you have a case, and you can expose them. It costs them too much.

@xh Looking to get out. What VAR are at now?

@r6 That director just screams incel energy. Bitter little man hiding behind his title to pick on women. He failed outside, so now he tries to control the ones at work. Pathetic.

Just got hired by a competitor. Now my goal becomes to recruit from my team and bring as many of our customers with us as we can. I am so over CDW. My goal, as well as a # of my colleagues, is to recreate the corporate culture we had before being su-ked into this Death Star via an acquisition.

@sr Don’t kid yourself. The indentured labourers will get it done eventually. They are facing a lot of unfairness in wages.

@r6 People shouldn’t be afraid of layoffs. If people get laid off they should get an attorney. It will not be worth it for them to keep doing layoffs if people fight back.

@r6 unionized, lol. Nobody has the guts to do it. You need a folk-hero style leader to do it. Someone who has a pulse on leadership, strong industry reputation the respect of the rank and file, with desire to organize and nothing to lose. I can think of 2-3 people like this, but would they help? Why would they help?

We are crazy to not have unionized or to at least get the ball rolling. We are irrelevant to the goal of Executive Committee to raise the stock price at all costs. I know one colleague in another department that gave some of his reports a heads up that they were being targeted by a director, who is clearly on the spectrum, four months before it happened. Three of them got themselves out of there, one was laid off several months later, and their lead left too because he wanted no part of these reindeer games. Time to call the Teamsters or UAW.

@m4 The problem is that the details weren’t really given outright. They left us to read between the lines or try to close the gaps for ourselves. Maybe to keep from drawing attention to it. But an email went around to that effect after the winter holiday season. Maybe the person spent a lot over the holidays and came back to layoff. It just wasn’t clear. I was really busy when I saw the email and read it quickly and moved on but later I started to realize something serious had taken place. That’s what I remember.

@ch+1k6ap2fxw

Look, I don't disagree with the sentiment of your post - but you are absolutely kidding yourself if you think middle management has any legitimate say in the RIF process. Quotas/numbers are passed down and the middle management gets to pick up the pieces. People always think this greedy and powerful middle manager has so much say... hiring, firing, bonuses/raises, etc.... it's just not true. We don't have power. Your name or our name could be on the same list... who knows? Everyone is just trying to keep going and survive at this point. What would you rather them do if they did know? Run around, break an NDA and subject themselves to legal ramifications, and then tell someone who was doomed, sooner? It doesn't change the outcome. It all su-ks, but you are attacking the wrong person. Go after the EC and their maddening and relentless pursuit of stock price gains over the people who work here. "Coworker first" died years ago - we're just clinging onto the remains.

@m2 That's a pretty bold accusation to just throw out there and then have "fuzzy details". Do better!

@kc yes but I think it happened outside work. This was back in 2023 or early 2024. It is a little fuzzy for me at this point.

@ex Wait. Are you claiming another self-delete after a reduction happened? Is that what you mean about "loss of a recently laid off coworker"?

@ch Most of the time the managers do not know who on their team are going to be leaving. Its at a higher level who knows who is targeted.

@aa, Yes I have heard rumblings from more than one person, and sooner than later. Is it true shall remain to be seen.

They’re ruining people’s lives! I saw an email go around a few times where right after a layoff the higher ups sent out an email asking people not to speak about a certain event and that they had heard about the loss of a recently laid off coworker and would provide emotional support/counselling for all the people who knew him. Where does it end? When is enough, enough? Stop the offshoring!

OK thanks. Nice thoughts but naive. Layoffs will be cowardly and planning secretive, with leaders signing NDAs with stupid project code names that take the humanity out of the process so managers can shoot their own teams with less guilt. You will be talking to your manager for weeks and they will already know you are dead to the company because they selected you out. On D-day, you will be blindsided, threatened and forced into silence in exchange for a paltry severance. Good bye and good luck. “Glad it’s not me” your manager thinks as they ruin your life. It’s the CDW way.

@OP This makes a lot of sense. This would be well received too I’d imagine. It makes too much sense. So much so thats why it will never ever happen. Well layoff by spreadsheet as usual. That is if we have another round. Doubt there will be another this year. Time will tell.

@aj And they really su-k at managing the stock price. I have no idea what the management team is good at.

@ak they let a lot of great talent go in the last round anyway without a voluntary ask....what's the difference if we volunteer or are caught blind sided on a random Wednesday morning?

What happens when your most skilled and critical workers are the ones who sign up?

It's not a difficult decision. You don't matter as you're just a number on a spreadsheet. The only thing that matters is the stock price. Business doesn't matter. Sales doesn't matter. Support doesn't matter.

Only the stock price. Always the stock price. Never anything other than the stock price.

Do you know of any layoffs coming up?

excellent approach honestly.