My Colleague had a heart attack and is in hospital, as he couldn't digest this news. Very sad about his and their family's situation. He has been a top performer all these years. Who is responsible for his situation?
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CK; who else.
We humans are not made to stare at a computer screen all day. It is so unatural. How is your colleague doing? I hope they are recovering.
I aged physically/physiologically about 25 years in ten incredibly stressful years at SAP. Customer focus pretty much ended my marriage. A white collar sweat shop if you face customers who are totally unreasonable because SAP’s hourly rates are absurd. You bear the stress for these rates. Thank God I accepted the VERP after about 30 seconds of thought.
Sorry to hear this. I hope your colleague will be OK.
I think, fundamentally, we (normal humans) are not cut out for life in the 21st century (we weren't really cut out for it in the 20th century either... or even the 19th... anyway.) We all have this idea of who we "should" be. We "should" be the "go to guy" at work. We "should" be the "expert" at what we do... we "should" be the good Dad or Mom, the provider, the one who either simply puts food on the table or treats the kids to a great summer at the beach or, perhaps, a great summer somewhere overseas. When its all said and done, that idea of who we "should" be is far too dependent on the ebb and flow of the moods or whims or misguided analysis of people who, for better or worse, are in the position to have those moods, whims, or misguided analysis determine what our tomorrows will ultimately be.
I lucked out, to a certain extent. I took the VERP. I often wondered what I would do, how I would react when I walked into that room or got on that call and suddenly my manager, with whom I had a good, friendly relationship, suddenly turned into a robot reading from a script with an HR lady (or man) sitting at his side, ensuring he tows the company line and doesn't say anything that might put said company at risk in any way, shape, or form.
I had always hoped I wouldn't cry. I'm sort of a big guy and I think crying wouldn't be all that good a look for me.
But I dodged that bullet. I took the VERP. It was the email, the careful consideration, the gradual realization that this was over, this thing that I had relied all too much on for over a quarter of a century, was over. The realization that this VERP was nothing more than a gentle layoff, a layoff that we could all pretend was voluntary.
My Dad (RIP) was a pragmatist. He would have said --- as he said when I graduated High School and again when I graduated College --- "you put your time in, did the best you could. Now, move on." And, like always, he was right then, and he would be right now.
I hope your colleague will be OK.
The stress and anxiety alone are not worth it, you aren't going to help your family if you can't function and are left on the hospital bed. If you feel you will be impacted, make peace now, and start working towards your next role.
My ask from the Management, particularly from 1st line managers, is to be transparent to your team, you are also an employee! Tell the people if they will be at risk of being impacted early and help them through the process!
Also, guide them through a managed exit, either using your network or pointing them where to look, so people do not feel it is the end of the world just because they stop working for SAP, it wasn't that great in the first place.
This is really sad. A lot of stress and anxiety lately at SAP. Maybe in tech industry in general.
What su-ks is that people really worked hard and maybe were stressed to perform well and do a great job, but in the end that doesn’t matter.
I think the lesson here is to do nothing more than what is required, enjoy life outside work and let sap fail with low performers..
I was not yet part of the layoffs and I was always trying hard and working hard because I like to do a good job, but I am really not motivated anymore…
I echo that. This is beyond sad. Hope he gets well soon.
This is so sad…