Thread regarding Gartner Inc. layoffs

@gj

I hope my response is helpful, because I really care. Let's just say that an option may well be to stay in TA, but you have lots of transferable skills too.

Have a look:

https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-strategy/most-common-career-transitions-for-recruiters

Not sure if this is what you would want for yourself, but it does make one feel empowered, so many skills!

@fy would you happen to know? might be helpful if you can share your profile with us so that we can see what good associates, specifically high performing associates, look like

Do you know what kind of criteria was used to select people? I mean, THE REAL CRITERIA, not the BS they are feeding us

@cd at this point, everyone wants out

@gh love to hear that

@gh any suggestions on companies?

@ge

If it helps, I was outstanding performer (amazing metrics year after year), but had too much initiative for my managers' liking (manager and manager of manager), and they started to make me feel really bad so that I would stay in their little lane. I ended up leaving. The world that comes after is better, I promise.

@ge this. many of us are in the same exact situation and it totally blows.

@gc THIS

@g7 truly. Hearing some of the people who didn’t get the layoff knowing my metrics far exceeded theirs simply has left me left with the “why me?” mindset. Although, as the time is passing it’s becoming more obvious that in the long run this will hopefully have been a blessing in disguise despite the financial blow at present. Constantly being used as the model and trainer for others, constantly getting accolades and call outs for job well done- only to be let go with no explanation. I’m ready for a company who truly values their talent and well being rather than a BS email about compassion as they’re about to flip someone’s entire life upside down especially right before the holidays.

@ga LOL!

@fy hope you're also deemed a high performer in their next round

@ga

LOL. A super high performer and will be the one to turn off the lights!

@fy

then according to your statement, you must be a high performer! That should come in handy as you and the rest of the high performers get ready to absorb the workload

@fy the Low performers were removed a few months ago in a quiet layoff, this one was a global layoff that included high performing associates that were expensive. Gartner stock has dropped 50% since February. The business is shrinking and they don’t pay well to attract competitive talent. People are burnt out and they were late to the game on AI. Gartner has fallen.

@g5 this is tone deaf as he-l.

teams dealing with HFO were victims to the business freezing hires. but you want to call those associates “low performers” because of a situation completely out of their control.

fully agree with @fz . the lie lands with leadership and the dishonesty surrounding business performance. stellar mid year reviews and nary a performance management to be seen, but sure chop your org to cover your own a-s.

Current associate here. Can confirm that if they are indeed laying off based on performance, they def missed a few

@g5 I was told I was a top performer and I’m not there anymore; So make it make sense.

@fy I am still here am a high performer but disagree with your asessement. Good try tho.

@fy

found Andy lol. to say what happened yesterday was a removal of low performers is complete bs.

high performers on teams on HFO who were closing emergency roles within WEEKS, leaders with impactful teams getting dropped, sourcers on hard to fill roles driving high volume. let be serious and call it for what it is. take the boot out of your mouth

Anyone here can confirm that those who are still there/didnt get laid off, are the best of TA?

@fv

There were a few outliers that genuinely surprised me because they’d been successful based on the metrics (hires) Gartner care about but you have to admit many names on the list are not huge surprises. When you’re forced to make cuts, you start with low performers and most people impacted had less than stellar years.

The problem is TA leadership tricking people into a false sense of security where they claimed hold for offer was equivalent to hires in BUs that slowed down hiring. Evidently, when time came to make cuts, those were suddenly not hires after all. TA has been overstaffed for most of the year, but I’m still surprised they decided to lay off 10% of staff.

@fv What are you talking about the hardest workers? I am in TA at Gartner - we removed mainly low performing associates

@OP yup they laid off all the hardest workers yesterday

I left Gartner TA a year ago when the top down culture had been shifting a lot for a few months prior following a lot of changes in TA leadership. I don’t feel vindicated one bit by this news. Just feel for everyone who has been affected today and those who have continued to work in TA there for the past year after I left. From what I can gather it didn’t get any better.

Looking forward to the next pre recorded TA town hall where there will be no mention of layoffs and comments turned off.

Sticking your head in the sand 🤝 Gartner leadership

Gartner TA alum here, to those affected please know that as painful as this is right now, you are better off out of there and the conditioning Gartner has put you through will set you up for success literally anywhere else. Hands down the most talented and human TA team I’ve ever worked in and your hard work will be valued so much more elsewhere.

For years Gartner has attracted talented TA professionals by promising career growth, “work life balance” and a place that people are proud to work for. Once they’ve dangled the carrot they’ll work you to the bone and make you think your work is never good enough.

The writing was on the wall when Obert rocked up with his empty fluoride stare. But then again, we all know he’s just a scape goat.

Well, we made at least one top list today:

https://x.com/TheLayoff/status/1973476143358681424

Left the TA org there last yr for a new role. So, so blessed I don’t have to hear Obert bumble over is absurdly unclear monologues during Town Halls anymore. Think of the small victories to those who have been let go.

4 weeks of severance when I have been working with candidates who are in process for funded Gartner roles for over 2 months.

Obert also gave us a talk track to respond to candidates who question our stability, one of which is “when we do the right thing, results will follow.”

Bone-chilling to think about how I said this so often to people who were considering taking pay cuts to come to an organization with strong culture.

Pairing this quote with their 49% decrease in stock at least implicitly assigns some ownership of their poor performance with their internal policy and unfair treatment of hard-workers.

@bs Gartner's recruiting model is wrong. They hire recruiters from recruiting firms, who are interested in putting people in chairs with little thought to turnover. A more successful model would be to hire HR people who have a recruiting background so that they are vested in the success and culture of the organization.

I was at Gartner 2016-2020, and the HR team in the Gurgaon office was the worst! They recruitment team was always cocky and acted so pricey, like they're all from XLRI and have a right to mistreat employees. Glad this is finally happening because most girls in the recruitment team needed a reality check and be brought back to earth.

@e5

I think everyone is expecting more layoffs and/or very intense performance management. They’ll want to get rid of more people ideally without having redundancies to report.

I look forward to watching their downfall. The way people are treated in this organization is totally shocking, as is a totally absent response from our dear CHRO. Obert has truly proved he’s the tin man and scarecrow of recruiting - completely lacking both a heart and a brain.

@ed

Agreed. The metrics and data they use in TA, especially sales recruiting are such BS. I am in a much better organization now where TA is relationship-based, which is how it should be.

@ak

At least someone got severance, a lot of us were and are being pushed to leave by ourselves.

(not disregarding your comment at all)

@ed Agree 150%. The metrics are hilarious and the micromanagement is insane. Every day is exhausting and now we will all pick up the slack for those that were let go. Don't push back or you will be next is what everyone is feeling.

I have only stayed because the TA market is challenging but have wanted to leave for the last year. I hate working here.
TA is run by senior and middle management who have been at Gartner forever and have no ideas or management skills and spend all their time covering their own arses and managing their brand upwards.
The metrics and data are all BS, they don’t understand how real TA should work.
Anyway, if I’m one of the next so be it, morale couldn’t get any worse.

@dq

Was it just yesterday, or should we expect more before the end of the year?

@d4

Sorry to say, but when you start promoting mediocre, that's what happens.