I know this question may have been asked in the past but I never had clarity. Who is making the decision on who stays and who leaves? Are the people leaders involved? Staff VP? What are the driving factors? Salary, performance?
23 replies (most recent on top)
It’s all about who you know and how hard you kiss a$$. The favorites stay. Oh and it helps if you have family members in the company that are higher than you giving you information about everything. Then in turn you give that information to your manager!! Then of course you won’t get rif’d. KArma is a witch.
Low performer my a$$ you can get rifd just for being the newest person on a small team...every case is not about performance some managers may not have an issue with your performance but if your the newest person and others have been there 20 plus years and do a good job your probably gonna get the boot regardless of how good you are so stop trying to make ppl feel like they were doing a bad job because they got rifd.
I'm getting tired of hearing all of this low performer cr-p! Half of my group had no work for a year. The few that were working on projects got RIF'd. A few of the others could not do the job and had no work, they stayed. Bottom line folks. If your manager does not like you, or your skills are a threat to them. You are gone! We had one person on large group calls laughing and bragging about having no idea what they were doing, and they are still here. It's "Lord of the flies" on steroids.
First RIF was low performers; second RIF was positions duplicative by territory and several support titles that were the same over multiple territories.
I can't speak how this is done in all departments. As a former people manager in a non-operations department, my leaders were told how many positions had to be eliminated (RIF'd). From there, managers at my level would partner and calibrate to determine who were the low performing associates in the department. Associate's seniority had nothing to do with the decision. When a department goes through multiple RIFs, managers sometimes have to start eliminating positions that aren't low performers (they were already RIF'd), but simply not performing as high as other associates. Again, my manager peers were given the responsibility of identifying who was impacted. But I'm sure it's different across the company.
It also depends on the dept/ some direct managers have imput, others do not and they are told by their directors ..presented with a list ….
Director, white male, over 65 , Southern California, 15+ , go figure. ( my team didn’t just hit target #’s, we always were way over.) Basically, the higher the salary, the 1st to go. They thought my old team could function under someone younger, less experienced. I heard through the grapevine he/she is overwhelmed and a few have left. Not my problem. I guess this was a blessing in disguise.
Being called a low performer by a bunch of low performers is ironic. My team and VP are low performers, lazy and useless. And a bunch of lifers who don't even know what they don't know. What a joke this place is.
Been a manager for years. My experience is that my Staff VP tells me they need a list of x number of lowest performers. I have some bargaining power and can sometimes give 2 names instead of 3 but usually not. I have had a VP in the past target one of my team members for RIF because they didn't like them and/or they felt they were not performing (they were). So usually, it's a numbers game targeting the lowest performers. But once you've already RIFed your lowest performers through RIFs over several years it gets tougher. You have to start looking at skillsets, ability to learn/grow, and what roles are needed most and least. It gets ugly.
@ck+1jsd2hm12
Sounds like one of those “know it all managers” who thinks because it was done a certain way in their part of EH, then that is how it is done across the board. Then you have to tell everyone else they are wrong. Knowity Mcknowitall.
Can tell that a lot or people responding are not people leaders but extremely confident on how those RIF’d are decided. LOL. So much misinformation on here. Keep guiding people in the wrong direction all you non people leaders. Good work.
it has nothing to do with salary - it has to do with numbers - they need x number of people gone - the easiest way is who is on a PIP. look at performance evals and if they are scored (4.2, 3.2 etc) regardless if they all meet the ones with the lowest scores go- as a manager you may be asked to draw up a list - but in the end - if you disagree no one cares - Directors and above are looking at numbers of people. The result often is the higher performers see the RIF, and the people and then start looking to get out
Given a short list of people to choose from. A short list of high performers. No real input from Manager's end. Surveys, age, performance - please know NONE OF IT MATTERS.
Normally, get rid of the bottom performers. If two departments are doing similar or the same work; they have to make a choice on which one to keep; or if to combine. Next they need to look at those who did not hit a "meets" or are on a PIP. If everyone is meets or above; they will have to make a hard decision. It would be nice if the company just offered packages and let us know we need X number of people to take them then shift people around. It would be a lot easier and I am sure more people would retire early, or just leave.
@ak+1jsd2hm12, not true. Sounds like something you “heard”. The people on here saying it is up to your direct manager the vast majority of the time are correct.
My direct manager seemed surprised that I was selected for the RIF. I was the only one with significant growth of my business. I suspect it was the division leader and the chief of staff who tapped me. I never asked why I was tapped, they did me a favor and I was happy to go.
I was RIFd because my new manager did not like me. I was happy to go. I did not like my new manager. I had zero confidence in the managers abilities and openly questioned their sketchy credentials. Favoritism rules the day at this company, and it is why the company is failing every day!
It happens differently almost every time it happens. Different factors considered each time. Lately managers have pretty much been told here is the list. Check it for associates on your team. If there is justification to have the associate removed provide it, but the higher ups can still decline the justification. So it isn’t always the manager and whether they “like you” or not. They honestly do not have that much power over who has been chosen to be RIF’d. And many are just as sick to their stomach when it happens because they have no options.
I had 12 people reporting to me. I was told I could keep 6. I had to chose the people who got cut. Salary age ect didn’t matter.
If your manager likes you then you don’t get riffed. If they don’t you’re riffed. Many a manager have come on here stating it had nothing to do with age, salary or competence.
Oh I can’t wait for 200kpl to weigh in on this one. I need a good truth bo-b thrown at me.
To add, it is usually supposed to be performance based (the manager fills out an assessment for the associate and all of their peers on the team even the associates not getting let go)
Really, it comes down to most of the time the manager putting whatever name(s) that they want to. Put it this way, if the whole team didnt get let go, your direct manager didnt deem you as critical if they RiF’d you and not others. Regardless of if you had “really positive” performance reviews.
You are going to get different answers but unless the whole team is getting let go, whomever the associates direct manager is decides. It may come down from higher as to how many or how much dollars need to be cut but i’ve never seen where someone besides the direct manager decided. Again, unless the whole team was let go.