The RIF selection process certainly is broken. There are people who rightly got less than 3 evals that were later turned into a 3 after some whining and politics between management and HR. I also remember a few people being late to work all the time and abusing breaks and lunches. Some of these people were generally considered under performers who needed constant supervision. For some reason, these were not always the people selected for layoff.
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Why anyone comes to this site and spends their time writing these goodie-goodie posts is beyond me, unless they are lurking HR shills. Take it from me as a Seagate manager, the review process is broken, and so is the layoff selection process. Just like last September, great people will be shown the door & most of the house plants sitting around doing nothing will keep their jobs because their boss was too afraid to give them < 3 and risk "losing somebody" .
Imagine my feelings when I earned a 5, only to have a pay freeze in place and get ZERO reward. That was very demotivating. Turned a '5' into a slacker for a while I was busy updating my resume.
Funny but I can sense HR personnel browsing and posting Anonymously. Please do your your real job instead of acting as a lackey for the management. Totally disgusted with Seagate HR.
There are no good guys in HR. Even if there are, they will be forced to defend the management . Bottom line, don't trust anyone from HR.
Who is harassing you for this visiting this site? You as a Seagate employee can view this site as much as you want. You can post to it too. What you can't do is post Seagate confidential information on here. If someone from HR is telling you otherwise please post their name for the good guys to take action. Cheers
I am wondering how many people.from mgt or legal look tlo.com cos.group of us warned by hr thugs n mentioned "confidential,law,policy,..etc"
I do give grade 3 to alot people. Explain same thing limited place. That is not problem profit sharing based on rating that is worse case. Do i want to get 3 or 5. There got Time i never c below 5. But after some incident all the way i get 3. I dont even want to sit one to one with my.boss "I said it ok.. nevermind boss " Cos after chg CFO. Seagate culture changes...why waste time to sit n listen nonsense. I know i wont get more than 3 till chg.boss again.ihave to say nonsense for post." deserve grade 3 cos of ur so so performance. Seagate practice this sys as long as i remember ...every year same old story.Main problem is profit sharing based on rating. Based on job grade . ...that is managing like wall street thug.sorry layoff news become...get back to chase.. how anyone win lottery
"As for a 3 rating, why is it bad?"
Because the system is not objective nor fair. The 3 is too big of a bucket. Having levels of 1,2,3,4 and 5 is okay, but the scale should be linear.
A contrived example: Suppose ten of you are taking an exam. The resulting scores are: 99,98,92,81,70,65,50,53,44,30.
Using the 3gate Way:
99=>5
98=>4
30=>2
Everyone else is a 3.
There is no difference in rank between the person that got 92 and the one that got 44.
What's that? You are the guy that got the 92? Nice job, but... the 3 is what is going to be officially recorded in your folder in order to quantify your performance. The 3. Not the 92.
But hey, same goes for the guy that got 44. Not a bad deal for him.
So....who does this reward? What kind of incentive does this generate?
To summarize. It is non-objective. It dictates that hard work go unrecognized. It sets the wrong kind of incentive. AND..... it has no upside at all. There was no reason to set it up this way.
Also. How professional do you feel when half your co-workers show up to work wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. And here I thought jeans were borderline. Seagate Way indeed!
The parking lot is the best gauge of motivation. I've never seen anything like this now. When I arrive at a rather late 9, the lot is 3/4 empty. At lunch it's full as normal. By 4, it's again 3/4 empty or more. If you happen to walk out after 5 like I have you may be surprised how easy it is to spot your car in the back from the front door since there are only a handful left. lol. Spells total doom levels to me.
Seagate was and still is a great company. However, if the demands of the market are such that it has to take drastic actions like layoffs it would, what else is the choice?
If someone does get laid off; for people who are skilled and confident of that, why worry because you'll get a package and be able to get a new job easily. However, there would be some in that mix (low skill) who should feel thankful enough to have been with the company inspite of their lack of skill as expected of the job profile. Truth is harsh, unfortunately.
Think about which group you honestly think you belong to.
As for a 3 rating, why is it bad? I've seen people who worked hard and did get a 4 or 5 based on that work. If 80-90 percent get a 4-5, means majority of Seagate folks are doing extraordinarily well and going way beyond what's expected of their job profile. This is just my opinion, I think 3 is justified.
chachacha...
You spell like crap.
I certainly agree with most of the post about management missteps. There is plenty to be disappointed about. As both an employee and a stock holder the pain multiplies. However, there does seem to be some variety of experience and it is not all doom and gloom. I too have had the conversation with my manager about how to get greater than a 3 and been disappointed with the response. However, I never really let it bother me too much. I work hard because I want to and I enjoy the opportunities and accomplishments Seagate has afforded me. I work hard and I feel like Seagate has fairly compensated me. I just got an off cycle raise this Spring. So, there is proof of existence for all of you saying there are no raises or bonuses anymore. You guys must work for managers who don’t fight for you. Personally, I feel like Seagate doesn’t owe anything to me and I don’t owe anything to Seagate. It has been a mutually beneficial arrangement. If I get laid off I have no hard feelings. I’m ready for something new and the future here seems uncertain. If I don’t get laid off then I will continue to work hard, use my earnings wisely, and keep my eyes open for other opportunities. If they layoff too many people and expect me to just do more work I’ll probably just quit myself. If you really hate your job, your manager, and Seagate do yourself a favor and leave. Life is too short to not be happy. I understand why some of you are waiting for packages to help ease the transition. For those of you who truly want out I hope you get it and good luck in your future endeavors.
Almost like an Onion article. Sadly, all too real:
"High-tech company capable of atomic-level engineering and cutting-edge magnetic technology also believes best, 21st century method of treating employees involves taking away benefits from most dedicated individuals and dumbing-down the rating system until it is an insulting farce."
And then they wonder why the lot is empty at 4pm.
One has to stand back and marvel at the stupidity. Really and truly.
It's the Seagate Way. Sell off Seagate Software & ownership stock in Sandisk. Take the company private with Silverlake Partners to help to raid the coffers. How much money did the SMT reward themselves?Spit it back as a public corp again, and SMT made money three or four different ways.
Its the Seagate Way, Sell off process metrology at RHO to Veeco and get charged four times for the services. Sell off calibration, spin off RHO model shop and get gouched by outside tool shops. Many many more examples.
Its the Seagate Way. Go for short term gain, and not invest internally in R&D capital. Buy companies like Quinta instead of putting money into and investing in people who made the company great. How many companies did they buy that panned out? What is the value of the interest in Sandisk that they sold off?
Its the Seagate Way. Take away older workers one week vacation and give it to the mellenials. Reward the people that worked tireless hours and not taking vacation by taking some of it away. Brilliant. I don't see very many engineers working after hours anymore. Figure out how to get rid of employees who are nearing retirement without appearing to discriminate on the basis of age. Attention - those of you still around with a four & five digit GID you have a big target on your backs.
Its the Seagate Way. Be secretive about layoffs. Don't give any explanations or apologies in employee meetings. RIF employees have surpass their usefulness. They are the unmentionables in communications meetings.
Its the Seagate Way. We place values in our employees. Corrections. We place value in our real employees - the SMT. There is no value in loyalty.
Who is going to be the one who have guts to come out and say the emperor is not wearing clothes? People are scared into being spineless.
Congratulations. We've become a heartless unfeeling organization where people are treated like tools in a toolbox.
3gate is brilliant. Many have said the company has survived or even thrived because the experienced employees knew what had to be done in spite of the stagnant bean counting executives. I even feel bad for first level managers who cannot promote or reward their good employees.
"Free nasty lunch"
LOL! Indeed!
You cats straight up just made my day with the Rule of Threes comments. Best laugh (mixed with tears) all week! Oh, and every word is true, except the 95% part which was slightly off. It's a lower % (70%ish) but still rigidly stratified and asinine. Previous poster's points still hold up, regardless.
And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it. "
I am a Solid 3.
I used to be higher. I got 4s and 5s back in the day... back before some brainiac decided to change The Culture. Before The Seagate Way.
So you know what? I have decided to let my performance keep pace with my ranking.
I could work harder. But I do not. I make an effort not to. Because I am a 3. Hear me roar.
"Know anyone as Innovative and Driven as you are?" asks the Insipid, Patronizing Poster. Well, even if I did, why would I punish them by inviting them to work here where they will just turn into another 3? For that is what they shall recievith.
I guess Corporate HR must have hired the Most Innovative Person of all time, whoever it was that came up with the idea of 95% of the employees getting a 3. Wow. What a Great Idea. Everyone will love it so much.
There is a broad spectrum of 3s. Some 3s are practically a 4. Others could be high 2s. But it matters not one whit. We are all the same in the eyes of Seagate. The Silent Majority. The Enforced Mediocrities of the Seagte World. I am your Champion. I am your Patron Saint. Embrace your 3-ness. With every task at Seagate, ask yourself, "what would a complete and utter Average Person do?" Then go forth and Make It So.
Know anyone as Mediocre and Commonplace as you are? Invite them to join us at 3gate!
Worse I've seen in 2 decades. Zero incentives and unmotivated. Unfair treatment. No prospects here. Younger set should run if not too lazy
The moral to the story is that morale is low.
I lost all respect for working here years ago when I was told at a review that the most my boss could give me was a 3. Not because I wasn't working at a 4 level, but because they are limited to only a small percentage getting 4 and 5 ratings. I was told there was no amont of extra work I could ever do to get a 4 or 5. That's such bs, you should be reviewed on your job performance, not how you rank. The only reason they are limiting 4/5 ratings is so greedy management can limit raises and promotions. Management only cares about themselves and stock holders. Gee, maybe instead of ceo bonuses or a dividend...the ceo and shareholders should get an ice cream sandwich or free nasty lunch in cafeteria instead, just like how they treat their employees.
I have to agree with Hilgo also (5 comments below). If you read any of the trading blogs it's obvious that traders are only buying Seagate Shares because of the high dividend pay out. This dividend is twice as high as other tech companies. This money should have been used to upgrade much of the ageing tools throughout the company and to reward the dedicated employees. While management is happy to cut the workforce there is no sign this dividend is going to be cut. It's an utter disgrace that this high dividend is still being played out whilst employees go without any pay rises or profit share. This company is badly run and badly managed. With such attitude to its workforce and the low morale its only going to go in one direction and that direction is not going to be up.
The company needs to be more transparent in their restructuring!
It's like.............. we've lost our morale compass.
Does anyone on this bleeping site know how to spell "morale"?
Couldn't agree with you more Hilgo. I thought they were stupid the last few times they jacked the dividend to unsustainable levels. Now they are stuck between a rock and hard place because they are now a slave to that dividend. Hard working staff will have to take the hit for their inept marketing failures and silly financial decisions.
To be honest, I really think the senior management at STX did a bad job for the past 2 years. Really think they fxxk-up and ran the company to the ground. Now trying to savage by restructuring, laying off great loyal staff who did their job well in order to keep the numbers for shareholders and Wallstreet !!! They are taking huge benefit packages and yet done a bad job at it. Shame on them !
I started full time applying at work about a month ago, who does work anymore? I just deliver the reports necessary to not draw attention.
Agree