Thread regarding Honeywell International Inc. layoffs

I really don't buy into the idea that people leave managers and not companies. This idea was promoted by JW in SPS a year ago. At that time he was a trying to justify the mass exodus of folks in his division. It seems that he was merely voicing a message from the higher ups that Honeywell policies were not to blame. These policies in fact were to blame directly. Honeywell offers no buy in from the employees nor reward for their efforts. There are many other companies out there that value their employees and take active steps to insure that those employees feel that they are fairly compensated. I get no such feeling as an employee of Honeywell. I only get that Honeywell thinks that I should be thankful that they pay me. I am looking for a company with profit sharing or the opportunity to purchase vesting stock. I need this.

Some things Honeywell enforces on managers:

• Layoffs are about whom you can get to volunteer, most easily replace, what metrics are enforced, or whomever pi$$Ed off the wrong VP.

But you can not lay off even a volunteer if they are a tagged high performer or on the spf list.

• Layoffs have age demographics that must be met, so a good young employee is preferred for layoff than an average older employee.
• You can not give a bad end of year review unless they were warned about their performance at mid year. There are quotas who will be outter L. So the decision to PIP you must be made in Q2 and held throughout the remainder of the year. So don't expect your manager to put you in positions to shine Q3/Q4.

Based on the above, directors maintain a list of the employees set aside for the Riff pool, and your managers knows the list. You are on it, don't expect opportunities to develop a spf skillset. Don't expect to work on high tough projects. Don't expect a good review at the end of the year if the midyear wasn't good.
Take the hint because you manager's hands are mostly tied by mid year

• There are no vertical in-line promotions (E1-E2-E3 etc) just because your skills sets and experience increase. The only time positions open is if another department starts raiding your employees offering promotions. Your best bet is to apply for jobs in other groups and don't stay too long anywhere. I've seen 1 block E1s not promoted for years, including my own. Business HR actually said to me, "why promote them if they are doing the work anyway?"

• There are employees tagged as high potential. They must have a development plan that affords them high touch opportunities. So you will fall behind unless you get yourself noticed early. A manager can help with that. My advice is find what your manager's goals are, and help them shine. Managers never have goals that say "continue the status quo". So employees that just do the same thing day in and day out reliably are never tagged high potential. Show you can change how work is done. Cut process time for a critical process in half.

Can you demonstrate leadership/leadership without authority? For better or worse, those that can do that get tagged even if they don't have the technical knowledge to advance.

As the old adage goes, people join companies but quit bosses. I’m fortunate at the moment to work for a good manager who does what they need to in order to protect the team. If that person moves on and is replaced by a bad manager I know enough to start looking right away.

SPS director here, I can tell you managers in SPS are mostly powerless when it comes to RIF. We constantly work with HR to keep lists of people we can 'do without'. When there is a re-org in the business, the directors and VP's get to decide number to cut. Finally there is GK. When the guy was in PMT at Morris Plains, he slashed and re-orged ruthlessly, most people in Morris Plains believed the facility would be shut down. He truly believes that a business can be cut to profitability.

Sometimes the mana or sucks and sometimes they suck as a result of Honeywell being a dysfunctional, poorly run, unethical corporation.

Terrible company. I’d say mostly it’s managers being unable to manage because Honeywell sucks.

1jal+1kgwRGbN
Correct! Honeyhe11 only wants bobbleheaded yes people, correct demographic, correct pronouns, and those that can pull full vacuum on their manager. Product? Customer? Not in the equation. Managers and SL care only about trivial BS metrics. Only managers that drink the koolaide get promoted. Same goes with the Chiefs. At one time, being a Chief was the pinnacle of a technical career. Now, most Chiefs, are not even part of Product Integrity (PI), they report to a director, which is 100% conflict of interest. The current non-PI "Chiefs" (in name only), are the most ignorant, non-technical, kool-aide drinkers to float to the top of the septic system. They are all yes men, to the multiple safety and program issues that are everywhere in the company. Their solution, blame those that have left, or blame the 2 year new hire. Blame. Existing "chiefs"(in name only) have zero skills to solve any problem. It is a joke.

@1cja+1kgwRGbN If you were not your managers personal favorite, you were always going to go before said pet did. Process of natural selection. It’s awful, but it’s how Horrible-H€ll works.

@1cja Feel good that you got 1. OUT 2. Hopefully, a pretty decent package.
Have a nice holiday and good luck.

@1bnt+1kgwRGbN
I was one of the ones let go from SPS. So I can take this as that my manager personally chose me to let go over my other colleagues? I won't lie that makes feel sad and defeated as I thought I was doing a great job and manager agreed to even be a reference. This feels like I failed and maybe could have avoided a layoff.

Either way SPS is a mess and I am hoping I land something bigger and better soon.

Manager SPS here. When it's time to give out RIFF-MAS presents, I am the one asked for names to fire next. Directors and VPs don't want blood on their manicured nails. Putting current to future employees' livelihoods into their hands and heads is not something they want any part of. That's why our personal favorites always last longer than others. Sad but true.

I put in my resignation after one of the long time Chief Engrs said they could 'no longer in good faith' tell new hires or interns that this is 'a great place to work'... not even good...

I'm in aero, and from my perspective it's because management would rather surround themselves with "yes men" instead of practical thinkers that know how to implement and drive change. I've seen several good supervisors leave just because they were tired of being pegged as the whipping boy.

Ex-manager, not at Aero. No decisions that would stick could actually be made below the Sr. Director level, and they often had to get clearance from a VP. Managers at HON are merely the tools and mouthpieces of the ruling cabal.

Same as any company. A bad manager (or a manager incharge of the wrong people) can stall or ki-l your career. That happens everywhere. Better question is what difference on a career does an average (or off site) manager or a good manager make? Again, answer will be pretty much the same at any company and depends on your ability to manage your manager. The big difference at HON that I've seen is HON promotes good individual contributors to manager, reorganizes a few months later, and rifs that good person much too often.

Yeah @osj I've made a pretty good career in Aero Engineering developing in place.
Outlasted many project engineers and senior technical managers. Not to mention many mover and shaker coworkers that would get promoted a couple times, end up in over their heads, only to get PIPed and then RIFed by a new manager. Nowadays my current manager says he feels like I'm just coasting toward retirement. I just smile and ask "Why would you think that". He's right.

Hum, I prefer to blame other business functions. Back bite, lower metrics to show improvement, smile allot, keep a nice headshot for constant org chart changes, not to mention my LinkedIn profile. Gossip with my trusted 5 blockers about the new manager and when asked what I think from a Senior leader about “my thoughts” I simply sigh and comment “that they try hard.” I never try to do over and beyond or try to appear super smart because those types become 1 or 2 blockers and the next manager RIF’s them. Always reassure the new manager that we are so glad you’re here. It’s better to survive by developing in place!