Thread regarding MassMutual layoffs

My area had more devs than managers or PO/Scrum/BA. We had managers with multiple teams and only 1 of the other roles and like 3 developers for every PO/Scrum/BA. So not sure what the other person is talking about with less developers.

I don't see many remote managers but I do see disconnect about location with a manager in Springfield and a team in Boston. Or a manager in the NY office and the team in Springfield. That hasn't helped morale when your manager is in a completely different office from you.

In my area the folks that got let go this month were all at a high salary level and the explanation was cost cutting (not performance). We were only told of the number of my managers direct reports that were let go. Unofficial word is that 70 total got booted. Interesting that there was no company or ETX wide announcement. Everyone is waiting for next shoe to drop. Morale is terrible.

MassMutual ETX (Digital development) does not make money at all. A thin level of actual contributors (developers). Most managers are working remotely, which presents a certain level of disconnect between departments and conflicts with the actual role of being true manager. You could imagine the moral aspect of the situation when a contributor who needs to come at work every day and his manager who is working remotely. Not to mention that the ratio between management and contributors are disproportional. There is more managers /POs/ PMs/ Scrum Masters/ Team leads than developers. It seems like MM is not able (can not afford) to hire skilled developers due to salary arrangements/restrictions. Some skilled developers that was hired left MM shortly, as soon as they realized that they would loose skills by dealing with old technology and quite amateur colleagues/ managment. A direction toward moving ETX business to India and Romania shall be reconsidered if MM wants to survive. Many US companies already figure out the there is no ROI from having offshore workers, but let MM to figure out it on it's own.

Apparently they cut the team that works on MassMutual.com. Isn't that a needed project for customers?

ELT says there's no hiring freeze, but there's been a hiring freeze for over a year. If they say no layoffs, that probably means more layoffs.

They have lot of full time remote employees. Was being remote a criteria? They are blaming it on tough finances.

ELT is saying no more layoffs are planned. How true could that be?

They got rid of a lot of junior devs, even high performers, and people who were remote. UX and Automation were hit hard because design is going to contractors or Romania and QA and Automation is going to India. Remote is obvious why they were let go and junior devs is so they don't have to promote them because if they keep only senior devs they're already at their top level

Those laid off were probably over compensated and/or worked on projects that were not critical or added little to no value. I’m sure there were also low performers in there as well as high performers not set up for success because of factors outside of their control. Even now there are plenty of coasters still there doing the bare minimum. Most will have to change careers and kiss their comp level goodbye because there is no way they are getting hired at companies with mature tech programs in this job market. ETX is definitely a haven for the mediocre who dragged down the talented ones with them.

It’s being communicated that these were NOT performance based. How true is that? And if not true what could have been the criteria? Higher salary band? Management positions?

Each reorg promotes senior leaders who are part of an inner circle and demotes or lays off good managers. They're trying to clean house to only have sycophants and people who don't want change. My manager kept pushing for promotions for my team and were vocal about how bad things were and in June they were pushed out of our team. That's a warning.

They're bleeding money because of Gareth and now Sears and people are getting punished for it. Also look closely at the demographics of changes they make and who is getting laid off. It's telling.