My manager’s told me multiple times not to stress about layoffs, saying he’s got my back and thinks I’m crucial to the team. I’d love to believe him, but aren’t these decisions made higher up the chain? Now I’m not sure what to think. I want to trust him, but I also don’t want to be caught off guard.
10 replies (most recent on top)
It isn't up to your manager, they will be following orders from above and they won't be told about the orders until the day they are issued.
Your manager's job is to keep you working and outputting, they'll say what they need to make sure that you keep working. It's not their fault though; that's their job, they are kept in the dark and the higher ups encourage them to do this.
In Jan 2024 a Director and VP were both asked to step down, they didn't expect it. In fact, they help up TK's operational mindset and carried out their marching orders. As long as TK is here, expect the unexpected and don't expect good reasoning either.
I was crucial to my team, too. And they got rid of my whole team. Whatever your manager thinks he knows, it probably doesn’t take into account that tomorrow is a new day & things change. Keep your wits about you & don’t wait to be laid off. Find a company that isn’t racing headlong to the bottom & doing better things than dressing up years-old tech debt as new features. If you’re as good as you imply, you shouldn’t have much trouble even in this market.
The two times I was laid off 2020 & 2024 my respective manager was laid off before me. 2020 (Manager at the time was laid off 1 hour prior to me) & 2024 (Manager (different mgr) was laid off 5 months before me). You manager cannot protect you because they can't even protect themself.
You can't rely on your manager's word completely.
Mainly because he doesn't know if his team is safe from layoffs.
However, if it's a critical team and you're one of the top performers, it's a safe bet that you won't be affected. Even a mid-performer will be fine if it's an important team.
There will be cutbacks on feature teams as a whole so what you work on really matters here..
Go ahead, trust your manager. Ha ha ha ha …
AOP is finishing up, and some managers have been told that their team is safe, and others told nothing yet as there will be layoffs in those teams.
If you can trust your manager based on past interactions, there’s a good chance you’ll be safe.
Come back in a couple weeks and update us on what happened either way.
Your manager will have almost no clue when it's your turn
Agreed, what's your role?
What’s your role? It’s really not up to him. They target by roles not individuals