Black Tuesday. Yes the lay off happened. I am one of many. I was a dedicated and loyal employee of 20 years. I worked hard on every scheduled day. I worked overtime when shifts were short. I switched gears for "business needs" as many have & this is how we are rewarded.
We all understand lay offs, as unfortunate as they are it happens. What totally amazed me is how it was handled. It's seemed the most unprofessional ever. How did they come up with this list of 100? You can't put a blanket on all of these people & say you are all being let go due to __. No two people are the same. At first HR tried to say due to your last 3 reviews/ training/ qualifications. Wrong answer. Just be honest with us. I've never had a bad review in my entire career at Baxter/Baxalta. My training was always on track if not ahead of schedule & as for my qualifications I have never had a problem learning new procedures. Now what?! I was still let go. I have a friend who's boss was submitting her promotion & yes she was let go. Help us understand.
There was a 7:30 am meeting for a select few, who were called the night before. They were the first wave. Then there was a 9 am mandatory meeting for the entire facility in the cafeteria which I will assume we broke many fire codes. It was packed beyond capacity! At that time were told about the lay off & we should treat anyone directly involved with respect & dignity. We were also told if anyone from the SLT approaches us all we are to do is grab our keys & wallet or purse and follow them to HR where we would be processed. At that point HR stepped in & said her few words which I'm sure was just "blah blah blah" to most because of the randomness & unknown of being walked out next. She actually had the nerve to say ok go back to work & be safe. Really? Who could focus after that? It sounded so cold & callous. No compassion. Was her job on the line? Of course not.
People in manufacturing immediately started cleaning their lockers. Such a sad sad sight. Everyone wanted to be prepared. I walked down the hallway watching my friends & co workers.....my work family....in a total panic. Some crying for the first wave, some just in utter shock & some in silent fear of their future for themselves & their families.
As I stood there I personally witnessesd a coworker of 20+ years get approached by an SLT member. The poor man was in absolute shock. Another dedicated operator.....gone! Some of the newer operators didn't even know who was part of the SLT so they feared anyone who approached them!
As for me.....the end of my Baxalta career was started with a phone call. I was on break off site & got my call from one of my many bosses. I knew it was the beginning of the end. My poor boss was so apologetic. I felt bad for him what a crappy job! He knew my work ethics. He knew he could count on me to get things done. He knew me for me. He had no control over this. He admittedly said he was also blindsided.
The process was not horrible even though I was losing my job. The ladies who spoke with me were wonderful. There I felt their compassion their sympathy & their remorse. Truth be known these ladies are not even part of the HR team of TO. Go figure! One was the manager from EHS & the other lady I had never seen before in my life. They spoke to me with kindness, dignity & respect. Yes! Two people NOT part of TO's HR. Thousand Oaks your HR department could use a lesson from these two women. My package was explained to me. I looked & listened to these wonderful ladies & thought " what a crappy job for them & it's not even their responsibility". But I am very thankful to have had them due to the circumstances.
So yes it happened. The selection was random & unexpected. I believe it is over for the time being but who knows......this came out of left field & it could happen again! Keep your eyes & ears open TO