Been at Sungard for around 8 years and I'm pretty sure my name is on a list somewhere ready for the next round of lay offs. Been at risk for a while as my role can easily be offshored to Pune or CR.
Should I stay till I'm pushed out? Leave now and miss out on severance pay?
SGAS is circling the drain, it’s pretty obvious.
You all need to leave as soon as you can, on your own terms.
Management is only concerned with numbers, not people. And they have proven over the years that they are not able to right the ship that was destroyed by AS and SL.
Ultimately it’s your decision. Whether you do nothing and sit it out in hope of a pay out. Or pull the lever and eject on your own terms.
I was at SG for 10yrs, the last 2 of which were tumultuous due to the total lack of direction of the company.
I worked alongside some great people over the years and together we truly did some amazing things at SG.
However, the constant grey cloud of ever increasing redundancies, the absence of an actual turnaround plan and a team to execute it coupled with the deafening silence from senior leadership to my questions regarding what’s next for me at SG meant I had to make some moves and make some decisions.
So the guaranteed bonus I was receiving plus the retention bonus was not enough of a reason for me to sit it out any longer. I opted to eject and never considered extending the pain of constant uncertainty in exchange for an eventual severance package.
Landed at a company far bigger than SG but with the same types of problems with respect to carving out relevance in a fast paced technology market.
However, no uncertainty here. No grey clouds. No constant ‘ is today the day ‘ job lotto to deal with. Makes a huge difference.
So I would suggest making the decision to be in charge of what happens next for you.
If that’s staying and running the gauntlet, good luck to you.
If that’s leaving with a nice payday, then force the agenda and start enquiring about ‘ voluntary redundancies ‘.
I wish you well.
It all depends on how prepared you are for being out of work. I knew my time was coming as I got shifted around to different areas with no real strategic direction. I had 6 months saved not counting the severance so I waited it out and tried to be of value where I could in hopes that I could fill some niche.
I really loved my team and my time at SgAS. I worked on some great stuff with great people and great leaders in my area but I won't lie, there were several that when I heard their voice on a call I cringed. However, overall the work and the rest of the people made up for it.
When my number got called I thanked everyone and moved on. I was working 3 months later and that place was a toxic dump. When I got let go there it was the most relaxed I had ever been in my life. Again, having a nest egg made it better and they too gave me a severance so in the end between the two I really only lost 6 months of savings in 3 years but made most of that back up from severance.
Now I am with a much smaller operation but everyone is great. We have some disagreements and differences in approach but there is not any single person I would say is a bad person and not a single person will yell, scream or threaten you in any way.
In the end, b/c I was prepared I had no problem trying to make it work and honestly would work at SgAS again, even with some of the difficult personalities but I would not choose it over where I am at now.
it's nice being at a company where you can go into work every day and not have to worry if today will be your last ... sungard is an absolute POS company .. stay if you want ... you'll be much better off once you are let go
About a dozen people got the ax today in the US. Plus a few more in India. I'd recommend getting out.
How can you be so sure that your name is on the list?
Do what you need to do to protect yourself. You’re not just any random numerical digit waiting to be called upon. Rather you’re a person with feelings and self worth. If you feel you need to move on, then do so , but don’t stick around for the sole reason of getting a severance.