So, my husband and I are thinking about buying a house. I thought it a good idea to have a 'heart to heart' with my manager about my job security before making such a move. Here is what I was told, " Our days are numbered, but we need to "watch HR", he said he could only "see so far", that "HR holds the keys".
I appreciate the honesty, but not what I wanted to hear :(
13 replies (most recent on top)
Housing is not a good market to be in right now.. we are at the top of the hill.. many reductions in listing cost in the past weeks. Give it another year.. you'll get a much better deal.
don't buy the house if both paychecks from husband and yourself are needed to pay the mortgage. Not good to depend on both paychecks to survive, anything can happen.
FYI - Your days have been numbered for the last 5 years. Are we paying attention, or living in dreamland?
We all know the company is "for sale" they just need to find the right buyer and price. We all know it's not Zayo. The other shoe will drop its just a matter of time. With every M&A I have been involved with here over the past 20 years there is always downsizing.
Local managers have no more of a clue what will happen than the rank and file do. Neither do directors. It’s the upper tier that know when and where.
Down more than 22%.. not giving the exact NUMBER BUT ITS NOT GOOD
On the HUB you have your compensation history if a Windstream employee. Enter the date when you got last raise and how much you made annually into an inflation calculator - but be prepared to for numbers you will not like.
I am down 13% in purchasing power since last raise and that is using the CPI Inflation Calculator on the US Board of Labor Statistics - CPI numbers are notoriously lowballed.
I am curious how others are doing - please reply
Is everyone really that slow??? No don't rat on your manager. I'm sure he's already on the same road as you. everyone's days are numbered including HR and senior leaders. Certainly don't do anything to move yourself and the ones around you closer to the top of the list.
You sound like HR, if you are, this is the first real compassionate communication I've seen regarding layoffs. At large we believe that HR solely has their finger on the trigger for those who go. With a shortage of shortage of communication, the general feeling is that of being fish in a barrel. The stress is so high from this that we're near to the point, or have passed the point of, not caring about our work quality anymore because based on the randomness it doesn't seem to matter. Since merit increases were removed it became fear that drove quality. Those of who stay, stay because of our coworkers and a thread-bare hope that our upper management cares as much about the company as much as their bonuses and golden parachutes. Give us something positive and not patronizing to give us hope. If you don't fill the communication void then something will.
Respectfully.
You sound like HR, if you are, this is the first real compassionate communication I've seen regarding layoffs. At large we believe that HR solely has their finger on the trigger for those who go. With a shortage of shortage of communication, the general feeling is that of being fish in a barrel. The stress is so high from this that we're near to the point, or have passed the point of, not caring about our work quality anymore because based on the randomness it doesn't seem to matter. Since merit increases were removed it became fear that drove quality. Those of who stay, stay because of our coworkers and a thread-bare hope that our upper management cares as much about the company as much as their bonuses and golden parachutes. Give us something positive and not patronizing to give us hope. If you don't fill the communication void then something will.
Respectfully.
" don't rat out your manager who did you a HUGE favor."
I agree don't rat your manager out. That said most people below director don't know jack sh-t about these things. Most directors don't know. This is double true if they aren't in a corporate finance function.
Never trust HR. And definitely don't rat out your manager who did you a HUGE favor. Most toe the company/HR line, all is well, we're doing great, our best days are yet to come, etc... It is also important to know that, here in the US, there is NO job security. Period. The best you can do is to do a lot of research, and get with a great company where your particular skills are in HIGH demand, now and for the foreseeable future. And if you don't have skills that meet that description, get started on those classes and GET them. You'll never have 100% job security, but you can make yourself more valuable by getting or having the right skills and putting yourself into the right situation. It's out there.
Please reach out to your local HR rep regarding this 'heart to heart' conversation that you had with your manager. It is wrong for anyone in a leadership role to tell their people that their 'days are numbered'. We would like to speak to this manager and clarify the company mission. Please feel free to follow your dreams of buying a home. As for Windstream, our best days are yet to come.
Wishing you all the best.