Thread regarding American Electric Power Co. Inc. layoffs

Ahh yes, disabling comments, the universal sign that everything is going well and that our benevolent overlords care about our opinion and have to silence us for our own safety.

I do keep hearing there may be another severance for hourly folks. We can only hope it’s true

I judge people by their actions more than what they say. Ending employees survey, stopping the comments on AEP ow articles, moving the bar on the annual CIP every year, outsourcing employees, involuntary layoffs before offering voluntary buyouts, last but not least, be holding to the Almighty EPS above every thing else.

If a company cannot treat their employees with dignity an respect, how can you expect them to treat customers with dignity and respect. AEP will continue to raise rates whil chasing off talented employees. It does not bother leaders at the company because they will just raise rates. Who will hold them accountable. No one. We need power. I know this to be true because i lived it fir many years. I tried very hard to save the company money just to be ignored.

In short, what you're saying is leadership s u c k s at AEP.

Virtue-less governance, rabid greed and self-aggrandizing hubris are a toxic leadership co-----l in our company metastasized by sycophantic cronyism. Precisely the reason employees are experiencing the latest rounds of corporate bigfooting.

Honestly thinking about the company in as much of an unbiased view as I can. I think most people at the very bottom want to make a difference and will try their best. Anyone Director and above, not so much, at least in IT. The culling of the old mgmt team is a prime example. After the initial shock, managers went into CYA mode to keep from losing their job and I don't blame them. TR wanted to be surrounded by Yes people and the existing mgmt team was not in that mode and it cost them dearly. In comes all of the Yes people who's one objective was to say Yes to TR. I never believed a word they said about anything when they tried to put a positive spin on the outsourcing. The first gaslighting was when they came in and called it co-sourcing. Sitting there and having to "train" TCS was a slap in the face for many. No one likes to be back stabbed but it happened. Sitting here with another x years to go, I'm pretty sure I'm going to out last and out play these people and watch TCS leave in about 2 years when their contract is up. At that point I'll get a chance to train onshore folks that want to make things better. The BUs just have to hold on for 2 more years. As the one guy said below, the locust will leave for a new company after they've su-ked all of the life out of this one. We're not terminal yet.

AEP has become one of those gas lighting companies that lie to their employees and communities. If they truly cared about the communities in which they operated in they would not layoff their employees and filk the role with contractors. Meanwhile they are raising rates to inorder to pay executive bonuses. If they truly cared for their community they would hire more full time emoyees and stop being so greedy with money. Spread the wealth and stop lying to everyone. It is not about making lives better it is all about top earners greed to be greedy.

I must be looking at her page from a different view. She's still listed as an EVP with AEP. The latest entry says to Present. I still think it's too early to tell if she'll be asked to leave or will leave on her own. Rumor has it her protection on the Board left at the end of July. If that is true, possible she'll be gone before her 5 years are up. Something to look forward to right after the CIP pay out.

Now this is great. No longer listing aep as employer.

Lets hope there is something to this.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/therace-risch-9390b3a

@3niyk+1qB6FXi3 I agree with you, most likely wishful thinking. Since both 1st and 2nd quarters came in above expectations and Q3 is usually our best quarter, I seriously doubt it. Plus they need to post the cost of the layoffs in Q3. If you add up the Jan and July layoffs, you get about 10% which historically is about where they want it. As for IT, zero chance of any buyouts, TR hates not having control over the Department. She would rather gut a specific group than to let people make what might be one of their biggest decisions in their life and spread the cuts across all departments. We all know TCS is a failure and can not pick up the slack. So if there are more cuts, look for them in areas where TCS does not have anyone assigned to those groups.

Heard someone saying they think they may offer a severance again but I don’t see that happening. Has anyone heard anything one way or another? I’m assuming it was just someone with some wishful thinking.

Anyone giving a thumbs down on any comments against TR have to be drinking the cool aid. There is no way anyone with an unbiased opinion on how things are actually going or have gone over the past 4 years could think otherwise. Was there dead weight in IT in May of 2020, sure but show me any company that doesn't have it. Every company deals with it in their own way. What she did amounts to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. She came in and cut an organization that had already gone through the Lean process years before and took off it's legs and arms. She replaced it with 2 peg legs and claws for hands [TCS]. Anyone with half a brain could see what the outcome was going to be. You had new managers that knew absolutely nothing about the utilities and I heard from them, we didn't do it that way at our old companies. Like I haven't heard that before. That does not mean your old way at your old company was doing it right in the first place. They are no better than McKinsey coming in years ago and telling IT how to run things. Pay out good money to identify things we already knew that had to change. I look forward to the day TR leaves, either on her own or "escorted" out.

My first thought will be ORI which she just became a Board member. I would not put it past her to sell herself as someone to come in and "save" IT at ORI. Actually, it would be the same story for any company looking for a CITO, my guess it would have to be someone bigger or more high profile than AEP with an in-house IT shop. She'll sell it as I brought AEP into the 21st century. They were an old IT shop that was behind the times and now they are a lean shop running great. Nevermind it's one big fat lie. The executive recruiter will never call on someone in the trenches to get the real dope on her. Corporate may give her a glowing review just to get rid of her and not have. lawsuit. I would not put anything below her, the only thing lower is a snake. Can only hope someone from corporate is actually reading these comments and not write it off as a disgruntled employee, they're not. I think most of the comments are a sincere attempt to paint it as it is, minus the glowing review for TR, that one is just sheer BS

They only way we recover is to get rid to TR. There are too many people that wouldn't pi-s on her if she was on fire. The problem is, I think she has to be looking, but who the heck else would hire her now? I think were stuck with her unless our new CEO fires her.

I'll come back into the office but I EXPECT the managers to be there as well, CIO and down. None of this rules for me but not for them. It's BS and you know it. You want to keep your job that you think is so great, move to Ohio from MN., TX, CA. or wherever hole you crawled out of.

Who in their right mind would give up remote?
Why would you even ask them to do that?

@3hvql+1qB6FXi3 giving someone a raise over their old job doesn't show the entire picture. If I have to now commute and get daycare, that right there will eat up any raise that AEP would be willing to give the person. Add on the 20% inflation since Biden has been in office, that eats anything you're willing to get a person to accept an in office position over a WFH job. Not counting gas, car insurance and don't forget the commute. I take it you have not driven on I71 during rush hour in a few years, I know I don't want to go back to those daily ordeals.
You're just not looking at the entire picture, typical of retail managers at a utility. Dictate a change, blame the FTEs when no one believes in it because they all know it will fail. They speak up and then are told they are not team players. So next change comes down, they keep their mouth shut knowing it will fail and they still get blamed for it because management will not say they sc--wed up, nope, blame the FTE.
The best part is management knows TCS will do an even worse job at it so they can't blame them.

Yes everyone has the right to complain about how AEP is ran, we're still here holding on for the day when you i d i o t s will leave for another company to sc--w up with your outsourcing to TCS. Excuse me, "Co-Sourcing".
I will stay in spite of managers like you, knowing that I can out last you here. Because looking at all of your Bios, you never stay at a place for more than 5-6 years before moving on. Just like locust.

@3hvql+1qB6FXi3 - If it was so bad, many of the folks would have left. There's been no shortage of IT and Cybersecurity positions in Columbus. Everyone I've sent jobs to don't want to give up fully remote even for a raise. If you refuse to make a change then you lose the right to complain.

@3gbti+1qB6FXi3 if you and the others truly believe that, then I guess you have a month to convince us worthless "professional whiners" how great she is. If TR is a guiding light and the only thing holding the company together than this should be an easy task for you. However, I imagine we will see nothing from you the same as we hear no one singing her praises in the company.

@3gbti+1qB6FXi3

• -1

Are you serious or are you from the Onion? TR has been a disaster from the very beginning. She doesn't know anything about the utility industry, she brought in all her cronies from retail who have no knowledge of the utility industry and turned IT upside down. Sanjay gave TCS the contact when it should have been given to another firm. That's why he got fired and not because of his parents. He took one for the team and saved her but. She's was under legal and ethics review for her use of PIPs. She and her cronies will do everything to protect TCS at the expense of the employees. She needs to be fired, period. The woman has no ethics at all, and cannot stay on budget to save her life. You must be one of her DEI hires to think so much of her and so little of the average person in the trenches that have to put up with her BS. And yes, I am at work on my break, on my personal phone. The company will get hours of unpaid overtime from me this week so this is on my dime.

TR is the only thing holding this sad company together. Her passion, commitment, and expertise has been a guiding light. On the other hand, what's really dragging AEP down is the entitled employees. Employees in name only really, "professional whiners" is what I call them, who can't stop posting here (probably while on the clock)

Wow, someone needs to cut back on the caffeine. In simple terms, Bill needs to take next week and get an over view of each BU from people in the trenches and not from anyone with VP in their title. Take that input and go Henry the 8th on Executives that have sc--wed up big time, starting with TR.

Resist the Corporate Cronies and their Corporate Bigfooting! Refuse to be indoctrinated, assimilated and subjugated to the abominable authoritarianism of corporate oligarchs and their fawning servile sycophants, who swear allegiance only to themselves and their insatiable greed. American Electric Power is the sum of the success of all of its employees. Do not let incompetent and dysfunctional crony management destroy what dedicated employees and retirees built with their own calloused hands, skills and talent.

I agree 200%, I would love to see techs learn how to be independent, how to function in their area of expertise but it's not happening. Managers are in CYA mode all the time and I don't blame them. I've lost track how many times I've heard, Therace is not going to like that. Well it's no wonder she won't like it, it was her decision to throw the entire organization into chaos. She doesn't think her decisions are the problem, it has to be the people executing them. So s h I t rolls downhill. At some point the guys in the trenches get tired of it and they leave. Just not sure when the bleeding will stop. I have a family to support and would love to get another 20-25 years in at AEP and make it a career but I get the feeling they ( managers) just don't want people to stay. They've rather pay a contractor next to nothing for quantity over quality.

Can we start talking specifically about the issues we are seeing? New CEO may want to hear actionable ideas to remedy our ongoing problems. New people are not taking the time to learn existing processes, many which effect upstream and downstream processing. Proper change-management requires a plan to get from the old to new system. After 3 years, the front-line workforce doesn't know what they are supposed to do or how to do it. Our feedback is met with more changes. With so many people leaving the company, we don't have experts to help fix problems. It's creating a colossal mess... Let's bring quality tools back to AEP and create clear and concise processes, properly define roles and responsibilities, real change-management and (much needed) good communication.

Maybe the company just kept an Opposite Day joke going too long…

@36ptw+1qB6FXi3
+3
You are correct there is no trust with mgmt Director and above in IT. We all saw first hand how existing mgmt was treated in 2021-2022 when Therace came in and started the process of removing managers using PIPs to force people out. The new managers lied to everyone on what was going to happen to their jobs. Anyone with half a brain will recognize what happened. TCS is the only thing worse than mgmt and that's not saying much.

Well the clock is ticking for the new CEO to at least acknowledge that the place is a complete sh1tt hole.

People are looking for a sign. At the least start turning over the rocks.

I disagree with the those shooting negativity at people who use this platform to share frustrations and concerns. This is a community. Clearly your workplace does not build a culture of trust. Let alone a place where people feel secure.

Well said below, the dei positions and employees should be terminated. They are increasing cost and making the electric services less reliable. I may file a public service commission complaint as well.

I agree with the reply all part. As for the rest of it, not sure. For some, getting it "off their chest" is or can be therapeutic. They tell people to write down their anger and then to burn it. I a way, this thread is similar in nature. Let people vent because doing so at work may have a bad outcome. So vent away. I do agree, TR and TCS must go to start the healing.

Y’all need to chill. Try focusing on your job and doing it well and with integrity and stop feeding off all this negativity. Or go run your own business and let us know how that goes.

And if there is another round of layoffs, I say start with the mo--ns that keep replying all to the JERI Invoice email.

Unbelievable.

Sooo does that mean layoffs are going to happen again or too early to tell? I’d be interested if so.

I'll be back here in May to see if that B made it the full five years on her contract, I sure hope not.

Maybe we should just do this like survivor island and just start voting people off.

You would have a flood of people vote for Therace.

anyone heard anything about the possibility of having additional round of severances in October

I don’t even care about AEP anymore. And when I got hired it was a dream come true. I really hope it gets sold or the business just continues as it has been doing. They reap what they sow.

The world is crippled today by crowdstrike. Luckily we’ve worked like this for years thanks to mcafee making our laptops useless.

@2Xday+1qB6FXi3
A lot of these investment firms make access to money contingent on having these DEI policies and commissars in place. All the big players like Blackrock and Vanguard do it (both of whom are major shareholders in AEP.) Basically a cabal of elites use their connections to the fed and the money supply to try and force progressive social changes, even if its unpopular and means burning cash. Once you have an infinite amount of money like these guys do it doesn't really matter how unpopular something is, you can just brute force it.