Restructuring? Should be global

Layoffs at SAP are extremely seldom. I have worked for the company for a long time and love my job there. The company announced this 'restructuring' at the beginning of the year and I think it is long overdue. We have acquired many smaller companies in the past few years and we never lay anyone off. We acquire a company... any of these new employees who are really talented and don't like the idea of the merger go somewhere else. SAP is left with a lot of employees that may not be the most productive or best fit employees that they absorb into existing roles and positions.

In my position, (non-manager) I have seen many such individuals just bounce from position to position never being productive and in all honesty they would have never been hired for the roles that they are in.

Getting let go from SAP for sub par performance is rare. You can get by forever just doing the bare minimum and in a lot of cases even less than that.

I for one think that laying off the under performing is an important function to maintain motivation, energy, and health within the company.

Where SAP is at fault is doing these layoffs from top down without consulting direct managers. Also, only doing this in specific regions is too limited. Do it more regularly, challenge the ridiculous workers councils, and do it fairly based on performance and contribution. Not age, not location, not cost.

SAP is still hiring people every day. If it were truly about money then there would be a hiring freeze.

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There are layoffs in Asia at least every other year. It is just they don’t announce it but everyone knows it is done beginning of the year. They will tell you your headcount is gone and ask you to look for the next (elusive) role.

"Getting let go from SAP for sub par performance is rare. You can get by forever just doing the bare minimum and in a lot of cases even less than that." That is correct. The sub par performance can also be a result of the manager's own doing. I work at SAP and the manager I have here is totally in the dark and living in a cave. He also guaranteed 99.9% that everyone is safe in the team after the restructuring of the team in another region. What happens when this team is also let go. I'm curious to see if any lawsuits will come about with his guarantee. Quite a few managers at SAP are full of themselves. Some talk loud, some like to pressure people and constantly give condescending remarks to employees. The management give no respect to their employees.

Oh I drank it for 14 years, I know I was cut because of my age. 46 is too old now. If performance based I would understand, good luck with your young talent. No loyalty whatsoever

...and your barely legible reply is why I would have not have expected any manager to have stuck up for you when your name showed up on a list.

OP, You say “do it fairly based on performance, not on age, not location, not cost”. I agree....THAT IS THE PROBLEM. You are correct, people are not let go for performance. Nepotism, nationalism, politics, protectionism, are more likely the reasons.

What I find ironic is even the people who support the reductions admit this. :)

It’s all business until your are affected and it becomes personal. Not if but when, word.

I guess I drank a lot of kool aid in 18 years.

I have yet to see a department that could not use some refreshing. Our company takes care of their employees and it is full of snowflakes that don't know what the word work actually means.

Unless you are in sales where there are quotas then you could easily fade into the woodwork and wait for retirement.

Seldom? Then you haven’t worked there very long....what’s your tenure - less than 12 months no doubt because they did a similar round 12 months ago but just kept quiet and did not announce to the market...in fact, it has been an annual event for the past 10 years....sometimes announced to the market and sometimes not...all that kool-aid has brainwashed you

Thread regarding SAP layoffs

Restructuring? Should be global

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