Thread regarding Northwestern Mutual layoffs

Making a comment like "NM had become a place where mediocre employees could stay for life" is basically wrong and implies it was a large problem. Maybe that wasn't your intent. I worked at NM on many occasions as a contractor, and most NM employees were hard working, dedicated, and top talent.

Anonymous,

I appreciate the direct response. But you wrote “low interest rates were to blame for massive layoffs and the need to offshore every job imaginable. That was 9 years after the recession started.”

You appear to be stating that there was something wrong with layoffs as it had been 9 years since the recession. Low interest rates at the time the layoffs began were a very real issue.

As for my position that there was deadweight, this was true. I am not saying all who were let go were deadweight. Nor am I condoning the extreme use of contractors and idea that short-term employment is preferable to long-term. But there were many employees at NM who were comfortable and not really working hard to improve.

I know them. When I saw they were given the “retirement” deal, I knew it was the right move.

But I also believe they have gone farther with the layoffs than they should have. Several highly placed executives have been pushed out because they did not agree with the direction NM is going.

Finally, as for Ed Zore, I know him well. And I have nothing but respect for him. His leadership was missed. John Schlifske is no Ed Zore. Ed welcomed viewpoints that he disagreed with. Schlifske does not.

Sundae Driver. The recession I speak of is 2008 when Ed Zore was CEO. His response was to cut contract staff and reposition NM employees into different roles based on skills. Ed cared about NM jobs. Your comment about deadweight is just ridiculous.

CTRL-F as a goal was never a problem. It's the complete lack of planning and execution that makes it d-mb. It reeks of inexperienced C-level leaders planting their flag in the ground with big transformative programs that pull all the band-aids that were put in place for very good reasons.

We definitely need to mature as an organization, but the answer isn't to keep blowing things up every few years. Incremental progress that is intentional and calculated isn't going to capture headlines, but at least it won't get you fired and leave your organization in a tail spin. Let's hope our next leader has a long-term view and doesn't see NM as a stepping stone or a training ground for their inexperienced inner circle.

@mosb+1h28iDfg DevOps is the future. Lean in, or leave (not that you’ll find it different elsewhere!)

@mosb+1h28iDfg DevOps is the future. Lean in, or leave (not that you’ll find it different elsewhere!)

More like CTRL-F'ed. Thanks NS for nothing. Come get your alpaca lady and extra baggage you brought in any day now. We don't want it.

Hail Our Glorious CTRL-F! Long Live CTRL-F!

NM needs tons of changes. From SLT, to VPs and director in ICS and data/engineering that are clueless and disconnected

"He said low interest rates were to blame for massive layoffs and the need to offshore every job imaginable. That was 9 years after the recession started."

He did not say the layoffs were in response to a recession. Interest rates were low. And they stayed low for many, many years.

I believe interest rates were one reason for the start of layoffs. But NM had become a place where mediocre employees could stay for life. So I believe a bigger reason was to begin to clean out those employees who really were just going through the motions to get to retirement. Every person I heard that was being "retired" made sense to me. Many were simply deadweight.

And every time I hear of a change to retiree benefits, I believe it is really a way to get the old-timers to retire sooner.

NM is stuck spinning its wheels in the present and needs to do some serious soul searching. Schlifski took this company down the dark side and tried to lie about what was happening in 2017. He said low interest rates were to blame for massive layoffs and the need to offshore every job imaginable. That was 9 years after the recession started. Schlifski clearly thinks people are stupid. Under different leadership this company survived the great depression, WWII, and the 2008 recession without any layoffs.

Quite the opposite. NM needs to go back to its roots. Learnvest was the biggest screwup in history and the company has still not recovered the nearly $1B loss. The company is the most divided it ever has been thanks to failed leaders promoting personal agendas and politics. A large number of employees feel alienated by the actions of a few leaders. You have leaders distracted by external activities and tooting their own horns instead of focusing on NM business. Promotions are no longer based on merits or qualifications but rather appearances and alleged disparities. The company is rotting from within. Former leaders like NS easily set the company back 5-10 years with their failed strategies. #MakeNMGreatAgain

Look at the HR department all DR's decibels all external all hacks, can't wait for that 3 piece hack to depart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What past is NM stuck in? The CEO has been finding ways to get rid of top talent for the past 4-5 years at the home office. Leadership is no longer promoted from within, but brought in from outside the company.

What should change?