Thread regarding VMware layoffs

Does anyone here actually know if BC UK can force return to office? I have it in my contract. I don’t want to RTO full-time. I know it is not the US where employers can pretty much do what they want with conditions.

No one here calls it severance, yank. Please stop spreading misinformation.

Everyone must be able to volunteer for redundancy, but it won’t necessarily be accepted.

AFAIK - if you turn down an offer in the UK then you are making yourself redundant. It is not the same as the UK. So, if you want redundancy then you need a good legal reason to turn down an offer as per the advice. Travel distance to the office and travel costs are legit reasons.

“I’m also considering going for the voluntary severance which you have to offer everyone under Uk law”

This is not accurate. They do not have to offer everyone this at all. If your job / role is not at risk of redundancy, there will be no offer of severance.

I have not been impressed with Broadcom at all so far, it seems like a dinosaur of a company where products go to die.

At least we have somewhat decent employment rights here, I’ll stick around and make sure I get redundancy pay should it go down that route. I’m also considering going for the voluntary severance which you have to offer everyone under Uk law, as I’m so far rather unimpressed with gmail, google chat, and the other assorted cr-p they use for tools.

“ but I think what may really happen in UK is redundancies, but official redundancies rather than a pay out.”

By law you can’t just offer severance, they have to go through consultancy. They will not pay minimum, as they have already stated they will pay VMware standard redundancy which was 1 month for every full year, plus notice period.

I know several people from both the CA and Symantec acquisitions, and they all said that Broadcom played by the rules and were fair so not sure where you’re getting your ‘belief’ from. Are Broadcom a company you’d want to work for after working for VMW? Probably not. Doesn’t warrant making statements based on belief though as fact.

It is true - and I am double dipping here from experience. I worked for Symantec from 2017 to 2019 - then we got acquired. I left and after skilling up eventually made it (after two attempts) to VMware. That was mid 2020 .... And now here we go again. Wonder if I get my old employee number back lol.

Anyway - broadcom was really fair and it was pretty much by the law. There were some internal sh-t with managers that wouldn't fly when taken to court (very much conscious bias, racism and whatnot) but the actual process was straight forward.

Now what I see in round 2 is certainly a LOT more chaotic , Someone somewhere dropped the ball there but I think what may really happen in UK is redundancies, but official redundancies rather than a pay out.

What I mean by that - the fact they are going through consultation period means likely they don't want to pay a severance. If they did want to pay a severance, they could have offered that as a quick way to get rid of people (if the severance would be good that is).

The fact that they going through the official route means you are getting likely statutory redundancy. That means you get one weeks pay for every year up to a maximum of 20 years (so 20 weeks pay). Which however also means that you only really are protected once you completed 2 years at vmware. Anything less than two years means you are getting your notice - with luck gardening leave.

Anyway - wish you all good luck. I have since found yet another new job as I certainly don't want to go back to bcom - but as I say - in my experience - it was a fair process (although Symantec obviously had fewer staff).

The inflated sense of VMW self worth is off the charts.

Mind blowing isn't it.

OP here again. Stop being - di--head.

And what is this ‘previous experience’? Please do tell…….. You ‘fully believe’ based on what?

I know several people from both the CA and Symantec acquisitions, and they all said that Broadcom played by the rules and were fair so not sure where you’re getting your ‘belief’ from. Are Broadcom a company you’d want to work for after working for VMW? Probably not. Doesn’t warrant making statements based on belief though as fact.

OP here, I can assure you I am not trolling. I take the point that BC have not yet started proceedings as we are still in the consultation period but this is the time to be preparing. I fully believe, based on previous experience elsewhere and BC’s actions with Symantec and CA, that BC will do all they can to legally (and perhaps not so legally), get people to leave without having to make redundancy payments necessary. Even if I am totally wrong, I think UK employees should understand their rights and make sound decisions for them and not depend on guidance by the company. No more, no less.

OP must be a troll, as they haven’t even started consultation yet. They will absolutely pay redundancy, so stop scaremongering

“ Some good advice for dealing with what is likely to be Broadcom’s underhanded attempts to lay off UK staff without redundancy pay”

What underhanded attempts are those exactly? In what way are they trying to lay UK staff off without redundancy pay?

So far they have put staff on notice there is risk of redundancies and they have set up a consultation process with elected staff representatives which is all by the book as it should be. Not defending them, but not seen anything that warrants a description of ‘underhand’ either.

Nortel tried this a few years back and got BTFO

https://www.thelayoff.com/post/@1gcw+1pVwEXdR

Time to believe….in yourself

VMware? - everywhere. BC trad. business model will not work for VMware - much more reliance on top talent for engineering

So much BS. You think BCM doesn't need top talent for wifi, serdes, switch. Year after year these teams are delivering leading semi solutions. You don't think apple, Google, MSFT want these people.

The inflated sense of VMW self worth is off the charts.

CA - mainframe - a small number of big enterprise customers. Symantec - partner distribution. Brocade….probably same mainframe customers (rare). VMware? - everywhere. BC trad. business model will not work for VMware - much more reliance on top talent for engineering (prod dev and support) and sales - and scale….feels like someone should have done a Venn diagram….

Thanks OP but in reality, ICs like myself won't get a choice, if you don't want a role then it's given to the next person in line. Only a few will be able to negotiate, because its only a few BC really wants. The rest of us are just numbers that they eventually want to get rid of..