Looks like they intended to lay off the best? A colleague was laid off from whom I learned a lot about work, from whom everyone had a lot to learn. They are not even aware of how much they have lost with this man. And they have certainly laid off many more top experts, I'm sure, to the detriment of those who will never reach that level. The logic by which they choose people is a real mess.
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If you were fortunate to have had one of the old pension plans and 30+ years, it made sense to EOI. If your knowledge, experience and memories were considerable, then it made sense for the ruling class to eliminate a threat. And Exploration was just an easy target.
There IS a pattern to who was let go, if you look closely enough and think about it. The company’s focus is narrowing and its portfolio is waning. Think about the last couple of years. The sales. The lack of big discoveries (aside from Norway). The loss of entire offices. It’s not slowing down. Not by a long shot. Which office is next to go? Well. Which costs the most to maintain, is contributing the least to the portfolio, and is highest risk? And there it is.
Another post by someone who was let go and thinks they are more talented than everyone else.
Well for one, gooder grammar would help if you’re going to post. Secondly, the guy helped everyone he could and likely saved your @a$$ on projects from his knowledge. Have some empathy! And lastly, the notion of everyone is expendable is based on arrogance and ignorance, until it’s you. Skills can be taught. Character can’t be bought. Keep that in mind the next time you’re on the chopping block.
Senior people with lots of experience cost money and ask too many questions. Better to use younger, less experienced folks or better yet, contractors who nod, smile, tell management what they want to hear, and don’t ever challenge authority. It’s the SPIRIT way.
HR / Leadership is the modern day Apparatchik.
Definition...
An apparatchik (/ˌæpəˈrættʃɪk/; Russian: аппара́тчик [ɐpɐˈratɕɪk]) was a full-time, professional functionary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union or the Soviet government apparat (аппарат, apparatus), someone who held any position of bureaucratic or political responsibility, with the exception of the higher ranks of management called nomenklatura. James Billington describes an apparatchik as "a man not of grand plans, but of a hundred carefully executed details."[1] The term is often considered derogatory, with negative connotations in terms of the quality, competence, and attitude of a person thus described.[2]
Members of the apparat (apparatchiks or apparatchiki) were frequently transferred between different areas of responsibility, usually with little or no actual training for their new areas of responsibility. Thus, the term apparatchik, or "agent of the apparatus" was usually the best possible description of the person's profession and occupation.[3] Not all apparatchiks held lifelong positions. Many only entered such positions in middle age.[4] They were known to receive various benefits including free holiday vouchers, free meals and accommodation.[5] Today apparatchik is also used in contexts other than that of the Soviet Union or communist countries. According to Collins English Dictionary the word can mean "an official or bureaucrat in any organization".[6] According to Douglas Harper's Online Etymology Dictionary, the term was also used in the meaning "Communist agent or spy", originating in the writings of Arthur Koestler, c. 1941.[7]
@OP+19zH6Xq9, if you think that there are other people who should have been laid off instead of that man, you must be in this list. What makes you think that you could make better decision? Next time just sign EOI, so you do something meaningful instead of writing remorseful posts. It may help you to feel better.
Managers and HR people want people they know they can “count on,” which means get what they want from you with little protest or pushback.
Layoffs are not often based on logic. One learns after going through several that the people who kiss up stay, HR stays, senior technical people are not worth the expense to the company are laid off, cheaper less experienced people stay, and clueless management stays. Don't waste time thinking about why, as it is not logical and has little to do with ones technical talent. Walk out with your head held high. Don't think of the ones who stay as 'survivors' rather they are prisoners left with a sentence of working for a less than mediocre company that wont be around in a few more years.
They have good idea who they laid off. This man trained younger (often less expensive) employees, and was displaced by them...
Every layoff hurts the employee and his/her family. That said, this organization has been bloated for years. And no individual is irreplaceable.