Why is CHRO going after 9 months?
33 replies (most recent on top)
Get real re low peformance culture. Low performance at NetApp now only means you are resisting the Microsoft way.
The few people who got on with her best are the group of Microsoft flunkies trying to relive their glory at NetApp (and tag President, SVP titles, maybe CEO) before they finally take their extremely long overdue retirements.
CHRO smashed the corporate culture and made being cruel and heavy handed okay again for the cranky and well connected.
I am sure she will land on her feet at Meta or Amazon or Oracle, kicking teeth as much as she wants. I am sorry for the good people she sh-t on at NetApp. We lost some very good people.
I retired because I couldn't see doing development anymore that ignored tech debt and mgmt that kept pushing for features over quality. NetApp is not a startup and should be developing products with a solid architecture for performance and scale first and features second. Based on the review process this January I suspect layoffs are coming in Feb, thats the scuttlebut I have heard. There are still good folks in the trenches, the problem is all the new mgmt thats been brought in from the FANGS that have also brought along their toxic behaviors learned at their previous employers. Its all about covering your @$$ and not about making good products that perform.
3 months later and the reason for AK's departure is still unknown?? I can't say I miss her, she was an uninspiring, unempathetic, leader.
Sadly, Beth and GK are moving forward with AY's antiquated "Holistic Talent Management" feedback and performance program. 🤯 I haven't seen performance ratings at a company in over a decade... Our only hope is a new CHRO will have a more progressive, contemporary view.
Was RTO Alessandra's brainchild? I am fairly new to the company and RTO was already introduced. It is a cluster. I feel badly for those in Bangalore some of my coworkers commute 2 hours each way!!!!
Anyone else biding their time until the market improves???
All those plans are still moving forward though. So she wasn't let go over it.
This is obviously an attempt by the c-suite to save face. They can't roll on it now otherwise they'll look incompetent.
They'll blindly follow it until they find they've bled the rest of the top talent in the company to save their ego. We'll definitely see people resource adjustments in the next 1-2 quarters and an updated thrive together policy.
All those plans are still moving forward though. So she wasn't let go over it.
Netapp is a notoriously low-performance culture. Why do you think our annual revenue has been stuck at $6B since 2012 - for a dozen years?! Silicon valley recruiters are well aware of this reputation and have told me that hiring netapp alum is “hit or miss.”
The chro was tasked to up-level employee performance overall, and as you would expect from a low-performance culture, this was met with extreme resistance. So great, now that the chro is gone, we can continue to bask in our collective mediocrity! Yahoo… not.
Well it was definitely let go from the all hands language.
Anyone know the real reason why she was let go or she quit?
How was her RTO policy poorly constructed? Did she just ask people who started working from home (because of a worldwide pandemic that mandated it) to come back to work in the office (like they did before the pandemic?)
Or was she asking for ridiculous things?
Senior level technical staff all started jumping boat after her meetings and the technical staff that was left behind is somewhat floundering. GK and the other C-suite execs knew what they were doing by bringing her in. They needed a scapegoat to blame for their terrible RTO attempts!
Can someone share the email?
To the previous posted, that is an interesting take.
I suspect (100% conjecture here) is that the way this latest layoff was handled might have not been in accordance with various labor laws so she took the fall.
What was so unethical about her?
The general population will not be made privy to as you can imagine. Some things are not yet even raised to legal. Those who had any proximity to her knew. The red flags everyone else saw from afar were real.
So what were the red flags? Why was she fired? I've yet to see a valid reason as to why she should be considered unethical. Her practices were antiquated, sure. That doesn't imply she was unethical.
Who will follow?
Her approach to talent management was outdated and ineffective, lacking the ability to recognize and cultivate the true potential within NetApp. This was evident when she reintroduced archaic rating systems that were biased and calculated with data that did not paint an accurate or true picture of individual performance. Her response to concerns about these ratings was to say, "I wish I could give them all the middle finger," and then deliberately ignore the concerns of stakeholders and those impacted by her poor talent management practices.
The blame clearly also lies at GK and the board's feet. All her ideas also had to get approved by and perhaps were even originated by them too. This abrupt firing doesn't seem connected to the (wildly unpopular) newest HR announcements. It's gotta be something personal and illegal or close to it for someone of her level to disappear like this.
This is sad to read.
The famous saying is true, "bad managers/leaders, make good people leave."
As someone who was laid off due to the misguided decisions made by NetApp (specifically Alessandra), I can state with absolute conviction that Alessandra was the worst leader I have ever encountered. She lacked authenticity, despite her ability to present herself well. More importantly, she had no strategic vision, no empathy, and no regard for the vibrant culture that was already in place. She consistently ignored the voices of the employees and deliberately misrepresented data to advance her personal agenda. It was clear that she only surrounded herself with yes-people, as her ego was too big to accept being wrong or taking advice from those beneath her. I truly hope that GK considers the ramifications of her actions and the poor decisions she made in letting good talent go, only to bring in people whose loyalty was to her personally, rather than to NetApp. I know there are several people impacted by a layoff from her that would love to continue to work for and were loyal to NetApp.
This is an anonymous website. Why are you being so cryptic. Give us some concrete details. Even if its why she got "walked out" of PS
What was so unethical about her?
The general population will not be made privy to as you can imagine. Some things are not yet even raised to legal. Those who had any proximity to her knew. The red flags everyone else saw from afar were real.
6 months. She is unethical (and that is putting it politely) and a terrible risk to the company. If you know you know, and surely the board does by now hence why she is gone. She was walked out of PS too. NetApp never should have hired her and never should have let her push out good, decent people to replace with her PS lackeys.
None of her ideas were received well. Mostly because they were bad ideas that would increase turnover and push top performers with options out. Her rebranded stack ranking and poorly constructed RTO policy didn't win her any supporters, but I'm failing to see how that makes her unethical.
What was so unethical about her? Coming from PS?
Was she the one that wanted to bring back focal reviews and cut the bottom 10% of employees?
What she do?
Good riddance. She was inappropriate, indiscreet and way out of her league. Netapp needs an experienced HR leader who will be a true presence on the executive team.
AY was the ultimate Yes person, by the way. That was the problem. Of course the worst leaders loved her because she always agreed with them.
6 months. She is unethical (and that is putting it politely) and a terrible risk to the company. If you know you know, and surely the board does by now hence why she is gone. She was walked out of PS too. NetApp never should have hired her and never should have let her push out good, decent people to replace with her PS lackeys.
She was in Bangalore yesterday according to Instagram. Must have pi---d off someone pretty bad to get fired in another continent
Did not like her vibe
Wow, that's only 7 months as CHRO.
I miss Debra, why did she leave anyway? Was she pushed out or something?
If you look at her linkedin, she's only been able to keep more of her recent jobs for under 2 years... so not a big shock.. her profile on X still says she's the "Chief Human Resources Officer at Pure Storage", just goes to show how short a tenure she had at NetApp that she didn't even bother to update her profile...
They hire and fire Global leaders who aren’t “yes men” to GK, they bring people on who want to modernize and it never works. Sinking ship!
Wording of the email is very sus. Sounds like she was fired for something serious
I had to search for when she came onboard. March 18 was the email from GK.