Tell employees that they have to take PTO and still work. Then once the PTO is used up layoff employees across divisions and give minimal severance. Executives all keep their jobs. They claim their policy is "do no harm". Don't believe a word Capgemini says.
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Sogeti is requiring consultants who are not currently engaged on projects to take PTO. They are not required or asked to work while on PTO up to a specific maximum number of hours.
In fact instructions to consultants and to management are explicit and have been repeated through out management from CEO to mid level unit managers. If consultants are involuntarily released all PTO used due to mandated PTO policy is restored and paid out along with severance. I for one am thankful that the company is working to protect as many folks as possible. Sogeti quickly moved to protect employees and clients through mandated work from home policy in the earliest days of the pandemic. 100% of Sogeti's consultants in the US were working from home offices prior to the economy reopening and as of today at least 95% are still working from home.
Additionally all management VP's and above are voluntarily taking PTO and continuing to work hard every day. Great people, great company that balances compassion for employees with necessity of business and shareholder demands. Definitely not a place for people who want an 8-5 take it easy kind of job. Folks who understand that careers and job security require hard work, personal growth, self critical honest and introspection always succeed and do not get laid off. They may choose to leave and capitalize on their career growth but the folks that leave involuntarily make step changes in their career growth.
Unfortunate that employees only job security is in their productivity but that's the reality of the economy that has evolved in the US. There are no charities, profit or non-profit, that can keep employees on a payroll that can't support them. The organizations that drain their value and cut expenses to the bone to try to save everyone's job ultimately risk everyone's job. Look at Blockbuster, GameStop, Pier1, etc... at some point you must acknowledge the world has changed, your business model is out of date and make tough decisions.
Very sorry so many people are struggling right now.
Indeed they also force employees to use up your vacation days (and all is in lock down due to COVID-19 so you cant use them anyway) they promise you we still grant salary increases if you do this and then the salary bumps are extremely minimal 0.x % or zero LIARS!
A dozen people laid off from NJ, PA practice in last week. Most of them senior and experienced (over 40).
Original poster is correct. Employees who are not 100% billable are told to keep working and charge time to their PTO. Requiring people to take PTO is legal, requiring them to work while using their PTO is probably not. Once they have used up their PTO they are let go without notice. They are then unable to get payout on the PTO they were forced to use while still working. Severance is well below standard and does not include continued company contribution to healthcare during severance period.
Company cares only about profits and squeezing every penny they can from clients. Employees are expendable while bloated executive ranks are protected. Communications have been pathetic. COO recently sent an email telling everyone that as leaders their primary measure of leadership is profit margin.
There will be huge attrition once this is over. Word will get back to clients about the true ethical values and practices of Capgemini.
Yes, i agree with you about the leadership. They do not have any idea on where to place resources besides talking for hours and hours which does not makes any sense.
All they knows is to talk and prepare few PPTs to keep their jobs and make junior consultant a Skape goat to hide their failures.
Yes, honest and open communication would have been nice. Instruct employees to charge the bench time to vacation until vacation hours is used up, and then say only unused vacation will be encashed as part of separation package. Not even one day notice.
If the Capgemini leadership was bit honest and open communicating the situation, it would have been much easier for the employees to plan what's coming up.
I’ve heard Chicago, NY, and Florida are all having them. So very sad.