I see a lot of people here posting that they hate working at HPE, but I actually enjoy this place. I get paid well, do what I like, and people around me are decent and hardworking folks (for the most part). I am not saying people who hate working here are wrong, I know I got pretty lucky with my situation, just saying that I actually like this place. But with these constant workforce reductions, it turned from a really good job into a constant source of stress. There is no end in sight to their downsizing, and from what I have seen so far, nobody is safe. Some of my friends are leaving on their own to preempt being next. I might have to do the same thing. Not sure I would get as lucky on my next job, though...
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“PS: there is no blacklist…”
If I have ever seen utter hogwash, there it is, right there! Ancestral HP (before the HPE v/s HP Inc split) started the “blacklist” policy in mid-2012, and it has been there ever since. HPE has continued it (I am not sure about HP Inc, but it is a good bet that their inherited “blacklist” from pre-split HP days remains in place).
HPE’s official blacklist policy… The Meggot and Her Minions are NOT too ashamed to post this on internal HPE web sites… Is (as of circa May 2017) posted at https://www.thelayoff.com/t/NcTV28V , “HPE Officially Explains WHY You Have Cooties!” . . . If you were laid off by one or the other companies post-split, then it would be “collusion” for the post-split companies to exchange (update) a mutual post-split blacklist. But you can bet that the pre-split blacklist remains in place. They will do ANYTHING to empower themselves to keep on appealing to Congress for more H-1B visas, while totally ignoring the laid-off employees that they have deliberately blacklisted. It is a very deliberate abuse of the “intent of Congress” when H-1B authorization was passed, way back when! Laid off employees are NOT allowed to compete with H-1B hires, not at ANY (low) price!
If you are willing to renounce your American citizenship and move to India, you MIGHT then be allowed to compete with the H-1B hires, but I am not sure about that… Can anyone ask HPE management about this, please?
They are laying off at HPI too (just had a bunch at LaserJet and IT), but the typical employee there isn't a bitter whiner and instead of trolling on this site they found a new job.
You can either blame everyone for your problems or move on. Your choice.
PS: there is no blacklist... I know people who switched companies after being laid off. If you bothered to come into work once while at HP and networked, you might have some contacts who'd vouch for you.
"I assume that HP Inc. is doing OK considering the lack of people commenting over there. Why not apply there if you are so worried about layoffs here."
They will cut your seniority to ZERO (for vacations etc.) if you do that!
If you were laid off by HP and black-listed from future re-employment by HP at that time (as is true if you were laid off post-mid-2012), both HPE and HP Inc (post-split) have used that common-origin "blacklist" for both companies.
Also, the employment sites may differ, and are becoming even more different as time goes by. So you may need to MOVE your family, if you jump over to HP Inc, for HPE... Or deal with a WAY-long commute...
And in the meantime, you have gotten older! Geezers are "persona non grata" in high tech these days, especially for the various descendants of the increasingly-fragmented former HP...
I assume that HP Inc. is doing OK considering the lack of people commenting over there. Why not apply there if you are so worried about layoffs here.
Just wondering why HPE does not offer the EER (early retirement package) anymore. I am sure a lot of older folks (55 and older I believe is the eligibility cut off) will gladly take it and spare the agony (at least mitigate) for the younger folks left with the company.
Perhaps the management types that hang out in this sit can provide some clues on any such plans in the works at HPE.
Your blinders are working really well. Someone has you on the radar. It won't get any better with the environment you are in. Keep dreaming
HPE is not too bad in terms of the jobs there: flexibility and experience, but the continual layoffs does take a toll in morale and thus, not a good place to grow your career. Here comes another quarter, am I next on the chopping block? People think age is a factor, but I've seen young, old, and fresh college hires get WFR'd. For that, it is hard to recommend HPE as a good place to work if you have to work in fear of getting laid off.
For those HPE employees that were spun off to SUSE, things have turned out better for them; people can focus on getting work done rather than worrying about being laid off. For those that went to DXC, it appears they just jumped to another version of HPE's cost cutting. Hopefully, Microfocus won't be too bad once they transition over, but we won't know until after the handoff.
"I noticed that there isn't much in the way of comments on the other HP layoff website, only with this one. Why's that?"
Two things come to mind:
HPE is about 5 times as large, for the number of employees.
HP Inc is actually doing significantly better than HPE (They do not have an Absolute Monarch of Absolute Moronishness at their helm). HPE is floundering, so it has more layoffs.
On the bright side, HPE top management has now FINALLY figured out... Probably in the Teeth of The Meggot's opposition... That it is NOT a good idea to sell your product at a loss, to your biggest customers, just because they're the biggest! Losing money is NOT a good idea?!?
Who knew?!?!
I noticed that there isn't much in the way of comments on the other HP layoff website, only with this one. Why's that?
Amen to your posting! You have painted the correct picture about the state of the company.
You have said"
Best case Microsoft takes over and that's not a great best case.
I like to add "...worst case if Oracle takes over....". The Hurd guy is probably salivating at that thought and
Yes, I think being at a different stage of life makes a difference. Optimism is great, but not at the expense of being held back professionally and personally. My partner and I have a temporary living situation and would like to move. We feel like we can't because 1) will we have steady income in the coming months? 2) if I'm layed off, will the next job be on the other side town, a different town? Someone more established is probably not as concerned about things like these. To us, it's an aggravating to live with.
Was in the same position about 2 months ago. I decided to take the jump and I didn't know at first but as of today I think I made the right decision.
Was very difficult to go, there are lots of nice people at the company. My team was nice. I wasn't scared of layoffs with my performance.
But a previous poster said there is no end in sight to the downsizing. No inspiring and growing product lines. Literally everything sells less quarter on quarter. For at least a few years. Where there is no growth it's hard to make a career, especially as a younger person. Doesn't help when they cut your bonus to pennies on the dollar, reduce 401k etc. The company ceased to invest in me both monetarily and in my career.
At my new job the team isn't nearly as nice but the company is growing and there is lots of career opportunities. Tons to learn and grow. To top things off I get paid 20% more and my 401k match is 175% what it was. It could still change but for now I think I made the right decision.
My advice would be if you are older and skilled and have good savings, milk the gravy train as long as you can. If you are young get out asap. This company will be mostly dead wood in about 5 years.
God knows meg as shopped HPE but no one has bit. Things will need to get much worse (huge market cap reduction) before anything like that happens. Best case Microsoft takes over and that's not a great best case.
Exactly!!! I too enjoy working at HPE. The work is interesting, the flexibility is a great perk, despite what some people think, and I genuinely like my co-workers. I started looking around for another job and now I'm sitting on a tempting offer. I don't REALLY want to leave, but I'm tired of the instability and the hassle. In the short time I've been here, there have been four rounds of layoffs with a total of seven people laid off just from my team. Apparently our business group is making money.
That is an extreme optimistic view. You need to look at realistically some times. We can't bury our head in the sand and pretend everything will be alright<<
We can walk around in a constant state of anxiety/fear/depression as well. I choose not to. I've been in the corporate world for decades. I'm telling you, it is all cyclical. It comes and it goes. Do your best, let your work speak for itself. Times will get better. This is an employers market. In the year 1999/2000, it was an employees market. HPE was giving out finders fees for good hires to employees. Through all the warts, the company remains a great gig considering the job market over the previous five years or so. Again, it's perspective. Better than standing in the soup line...right?
There is no winning with this company, if you like your job and try to make it a career you are laid off for being too old, if you become really good at what you do you are laid off for making too much money, if they don't meet their sales goals every 90 days you are laid off for the sake of their stock price
preempt being Next
Good assessments, one correction, layoffs started in August 1999. Before the merge with Compaq. I am very happy to be away from it. If you're lucky, actually you earned it it's not luck, any form of monies in a pension, from any of the mismash of companies, grab it if you can. Today's WSJ has an article on Avaya emerging from bankruptcy, retirees are getting 8 cents on the dollar. I'd like to say HPE will turn around, but my life experience says not this time. You can do stupid things with thousands, millions, but when you make bad bets over and over of billions, you eventually run out of runway. Good luck to all!
The problem is not so much internal team dynamics but a shrinking pie. There are certainly nice teams with good people but they are in competition with other teams, and fighting for diminishing resources because there is no compelling product to grow.
@sij, you say
"When everything shakes out, times will improve"
That is an extreme optimistic view. You need to look at realistically some times. We can't bury our head in the sand and pretend everything will be alright. We might all be in for a rude awakening one fine day when you least expect it.
The company has been in a state of flux since 2000 - for last 17 years - interspersed with many massive layoffs designed to improve stock prices in the short term, and countless ongoing mini layoffs that does not make the news. We do not see any major product innovations that gives us hope that things will improve. I do not know how else things will improve. May be you have a crystal ball... and I hope you are right for the sake of all good souls who toil for the company in good faith.
I feel incredibly blessed for so many years. This is a pretty good gig folks. We can't fix stupid and stupid people will do stupid things....but it's all cyclical. Comes and it goes. We are realizing a sea change in the company. When everything shakes out, times will improve. It's all about perspective.
Ride the gravy train. Dont work too hard.