Thread regarding Intel Corp. layoffs

I am only 15 years at Intel, and didn't get VSP. Still, I couldn't say it better:

I loved the 'old' Intel. The Intel where what you did mattered more than what you said. The Intel where you worked the problem and left the meeting and had beers w/ the person you just disagreed with. Most importantly, I miss the old Intel were the executive actions displayed dignity and respect for each employee. I miss taking risks, taking actions to fix something, and accountability.

10 and even 5 years ago it was still "old Intel"

I think Intel took out BE so people couldn't bail to another department.

If I understood properly movement was allowed on BE. Stopped people from finding their buddies. Of course it stops good people to move away from bad managers.

No it's IR (basically out the door) or a submarine attack with ssl4

OP and quy are spot on. In Andy's day, the focal process was brutal, and to compare that to today's ambiguous process is night and day. The old process left no room for misinterpretation. Messaging was crystal clear and performance management was an absolute. It makes even less sense now that the BE rating was eliminated. At least with a BE, your knew in no uncertain terms that it was time to turn things around. Today's soft messaging (created by HR), has left "Successful / Lvl4 Stock" in a more ambiguous lurch. It's a suger-coating to what needed to be a more clear and urgent message. Most managers I knew in the Andy Grove days hated the process, but the clarity of the message back to the employee was so much more clear, especially if it needed to be blunt.

It's why I'm taking the vsp after 21 years, it was clear my manager had no clue about the isp/vsp triggers and has no idea what is happening next. Leadership is not being held accountable , they let the company go astray and decided to write SQL queries to pull magic numbers out of the employee database to lay people off by. Lots of solid year after year performers focused on using their knowledge over the years to get things done are quickly disappearing , now Intel will be stuck with the self promoters that don't really do work but a good story and fast climbers that will log jam the grade 8/9 graded and now after seeing what happened bail and go to other companies. Everyone can't be CEO after all...

@1jib is correct. BK is hiding being "being sensitive to affected people" so that he doesn't have to give out critical information to employees. If it weren't for the Oregonian, we might never have found out how insane the 2015 ISP's were. Even this year, prior to ACT, I knew lots of people who had no idea that you could be fired for a low SSL rating. Don't you think that might affect their decision to appeal??

1jib is also right when talking to RCG's. If you want Intel on your resume, or if you want 2-3 years of mistreatment and not knowing if you'll be around each spring before leaving for someplace better then come join.

@fbm: Really appreciated your post.

"And how more could they have made this obscure? What is the average for my grade level? is it 2 years or 6 years?"

That is one of the problems. Intel won't tell us the average time in grade for each grade level. So how can we plan to be successful? They want to keep us in the dark just so they can lay us off.

And how about Intel telling us what the rules are before they lay people off. They change the rules every year to suit them, completely blindsiding employees.

NOTE TO RCG's: Do yourself a favor and find a better company than Intel because it totally sucks here!!!

for the last three years, the focal budget has been artificially shorted to force drop off of 'slower' employees whether there are slow employees or not, in prior years this was not the case. After each layoff, there are less people to do the work, so the survivors have been taking up the slack doing their work and the work of those previously let go...In my group there are no slackers, everyone is pulling more than their share and still 1/2 of them are being let go or have been pushed out. 20 years ago, there was always enough focal money to give all satisfactory workers a fair raise and SL3 stock and give promos or exceeds to those who deserved it and managers could give IR's to those needed it, and in my experience it was a very fair system - it rewarded hard work and gave the 'slow' ones one year to shape up or ship out. What happened about 3 years ago when bk took over has not been fair in the least and it has burned out thousands of workers working their butts off for a satisfactory rating only to get shafted by a inadequate focal budget and SL4's when they didn't deserve it

Agree with @HreQTlt.

Also want to add: In the so called 'old' system, all the managers would get together to assess the employee, & manager was required to collect 360-degree feedback and consider that before doing focal. Then if the message was still BE or lower, then it was strict requirement that the employee be told as early as possible - not wait until focal was completed. Now there is NO requirement for any manager to collect 360 feedback, and furthermore even if its collected, its not a requirement that the manager be expected to use that in the focal process. This causes the so called 'direct manager' focal process to be very much a manager feel. This leads to managers just using gut feel without taking data - and in those situations they will award lower level stock to those they dont know or those dont like! The shock was when I learnt that 360 degree feedback was 'optional' in the current focal system - I did not know this. It makes the manager one 'god' who can do whatever he wants with his employees.

@fmb

Yes thank-you. I'm not in that department but that seemed to be the general message at Intel.

Especially the move sideways which is a good way not to exceed unless you hit your raison d'etre.

Intels message was don't expected to move just move sideways.

I guess the only caveat was we needed to be more then successful which means working more than 50hrs a week with reasonable hours (7am-7pm).

If we go to imbo based focal (rumor) - look out -a real free for all

About a year and half ago, my GM in IOTG stood in front of the room and said Intel, as once did, does not expect you to strive to move to a higher grade, if you are comfortable where you are, as long as you perform at or above your grade level and not below it.

One criteria to get laid off at this last round was if you stayed in the same grade level "longer than average". Exactly opposite of what was communicated to us a year and half ago. And how more could they have made this obscure? What is the average for my grade level? is it 2 years or 6 years?

100%agree very transparent then you knew the consequences and had to act to save get to a successful ...now you can not tell BK Murthy decide and mgrs deliver if you are not the mgrs pet ....u will be gone.

Good or bad you at least knew where the bar was set. Today that bar is a moving target with no measurable goals. No longer are you measured by performance. May as well have a lotto style rating system.

I am not old enough to have experienced those days. Like I said, you didn't have to like it but he stood by his words and decisions. And yes, he was a hard ass

Did Andy stand at the front door marking any employees coming in after 8 or 9am. Can't remember the time.

Sounded like a tyranny.