#costcutting

ask hr chat bot, what a masterpiece. truly the pinnacle of modern hr. no phone number, no email, just a shiny little bot that loops canned answers like a broken record. wow, groundbreaking.

and the it department? absolute geniuses. no phone support anymore. perfect plan. something breaks? can’t log in? need tools? don’t worry, you can just… magically fix it yourself. thanks, team.

ibm really nailed it. employees aren’t people, they’re just a line item on a cost sheet. who needs assets when you can have a quarterly earnings slide, right? visionary leadership at its finest.

but hey, i’m sure this is exactly how you build a thriving company with a bright future. total masterclass.

execs came up with a brilliant move... let's cut the people with decades of experience, the ones who stopped the place from collapsing every time a vp brought in their latest tedtalk strategy. cause (obviously) performance has nothing to do with institutional knowledge...... it’s all about how fast you can say synergy on a teams call.

genius - really. this isn’t lazy cost cutting at all.

it’s bold visionary leadership that looks at a spreadsheet and thinks.

wow what if we swap a skilled person over 50 with two new hires who need six months of hand holding and a manager on top. now thats pure efficiency. even better, let's call it innovation, or transformation. just don’t dare call it what it actually is.

dumping the people who actually know what they’re doing so the earnings call feels a little less cringe...

Flying and doing nothing again? another wasteful business trip just for them to enjoy pampering on business classes and fine dining at the sites.

https://www.tradingview.com/news/11thestate:02ba45883094b:0-qcom-qualcomm-confirms-layoffs-to-cut-costs-75m-antitrust-settlement-still-lingers/#:~:text=The%20%2475M%20cash%20settlement,Elite%20Gen%205%20launch%20cycle.

Pucker up, buttercup, it's coming!

https://www.tradingview.com/news/11thestate:02ba45883094b:0-qcom-qualcomm-confirms-layoffs-to-cut-costs-75m-antitrust-settlement-still-lingers/

We have an expat who works as a team leader/supervisor and was identified as an out of scope employee during this second half selection. This individual is a great performer (and so does everybody else who is left behind since 6 re-orgs ago). Why would they select and retain a more expensive expat when the position can be performed by someone locally? I understand if it is like a CTC specialist role but this is a typical supervisory role. Talk about selective cost cutting. Oh well, politics is always present everywhere you go. Sigh.

I honestly can’t remember. It’s always been about cost, nothing else. We’ve been shedding talent like crazy for years, and no amount of reorganization will ever redeem that.

Wheels Up, the private aviation company headquartered in New York City, is undergoing another round of layoffs. The cuts follow a recent announcement by the company that it is seeking to achieve $50 million in annualized savings. While a specific number of affected employees has not been released, sources indicate that pilots are a significant part of the layoffs.

This is the latest in a series of cost-cutting measures by the company, which has been working to regain profitability after a period of increased losses and acquisitions.

https://privatejetcardcomparisons.com/2025/09/09/wheels-up-follows-cost-savings-announcement-with-layoffs/

The so-called “low cost country” strategy has gutted entire departments and cost us some of our best people. Moving work overseas might save money on paper, but the loss of knowledge, morale, and quality is enormous. The people making these decisions never deal with the fallout.

With rising competition from companies like Roche and others, is continuing to downsize R&D investment truly the right strategy? We need an entrepreneurial CEO—one who is bold and visionary—to clearly articulate our genuine growth plan to investors. Instead of focusing solely on margin calculations through cuts, we should invest more now to develop groundbreaking products and outpace our rivals. I believe Wall Street would prefer a company with strong growth potential over one with lackluster expansion but improved margins from relentless cost reductions. The current share price speaks volumes: investors are not buying into Illumina’s new strategy.

I was outsourced from FT a few years back. That was the worst thing that happened in my career. Going from a nice in-house job to this cost cutting garbage company. I wish that never happened.

Meeting between Dallas and Atlanta regarding aggressive cost cutting showed Minnesota on top of list.

1) Capital misallocation
non-primary business ventures, cost cutting, stock buybacks

2) Failed management
misguided programs, general incompetence, arrogance, strategic blunders, bureaucratic processes, focus on politics

I would say cost cutting in the wrong areas is the major one. The other failures are somewhat recoverable

The Houston-based oil company announced it is cutting nearly a quarter of its global workforce by the end of this year. That means between 2,600 and 3,200 employees will be impacted. Company leaders say the decision comes as they look for ways to cut costs and boost efficiency after a drop in oil prices.

https://www.khou.com/article/tech/conocophillips-layoffs-ai-houston-energy/285-9d4e12ba-fd20-4949-aaa0-d513980c4db3

Dismal Jobs Report and Schwab Stock price down by ~5-6%. Are we seeing Rick’s cost cutting approach backfiring or strategic? Will possible Fed. rate cut even matter?

Just cut the rest of MRO, Shell's and Concho staff and bob's your uncle. I mean, that was the plan all along right ?

Millions spent on consultants making upwards $500K each to tell the ELT the answer to our problems is to cut GA costs. Nothing innovative there. By the way BCG told Chevron management the same thing. Big whoop.

WHY PAST TRENDS POINT TO ACCENTURE LAYOFFS IN 2025

SEPTEMBER 05, 2025

Speculation around Accenture layoffs in 2025 is rising, as CEO statements, financial reports, and past workforce reductions point toward potential job cuts. Industry analysts warn layoffs at Accenture could mirror the consulting giant’s 2023 cuts, with AI adoption and efficiency drives driving massive workforce changes.

As the tech industry grapples with persistent economic headwinds, speculation is mounting over possible layoffs at Accenture. Rumors of Accenture layoffs are slowly gaining traction, particularly in light of recent statements made by its CEO Julie Sweet. Experts have raised questions about whether the consulting giant could once again trim its ranks.

A SORDID HISTORY OF LAYOFFS AT ACCENTURE

Accenture, which employs more than 770,000 people worldwide, has never been immune to the global volatility. In March 2023, Accenture layoffs led to 19,000 job cuts. It amounts to roughly 2.5% of its global workforce. The move was meant to drive cost-saving as well as reduce office space.

At the time, Julie Sweet described Accenture layoffs as an “offensive” strategy to strengthen the company’s resilience despite strong bookings and healthy utilization rates. The job cuts at Accenture were also linked to wage inflation, economic uncertainty and a massive shift towards larger-scale transformation projects.

CEO JULIE SWEET SIGNALS ‘REWIRING’

Earlier this month, Sweet unveiled what she called a reversal of “five decades of how we’re working,” shifting siloed business units into a more integrated models designed for AI-driven client services. In a video message to staff, she agreed the restructure has “inevitably uncovered efficiencies and duplications”. This phrasing suggests that layoffs at Accenture are underway.

Although Sweet has avoided explicitly framing the shake-up as a cost-cutting measure, her comments echo those made ahead of the 2023 layoffs at Accenture. In the past, she cited “structural issues” as a justification for job cuts. Industry experts note that her repeated emphasis on “rewiring” Accenture to seize AI opportunities carries clear implications for the company’s workforce.

A STEADY HEADCOUNT DECLINE
Accenture reported $64.9 billion in revenue for fiscal 2024. What lies behind this figure is signs of strain. Workforce intelligence trackers suggest headcount at has fallen by nearly 14,000 over the past year, with consulting reducing in 10 of the last 11 months. Analysts describe this as a form of “stealth layoffs” that avoid large-scale announcements.

The appointment of a new CHRO at Accenture has further fueled speculation. In large companies, HR leadership changes often precede restructures and layoffs. Furthermore, industry chatter places Accenture alongside peers such as AWS and Microsoft, where AI adoption is linked to layoffs.

For now, Accenture has not confirmed any layoffs in 2025. But as the company prepares to report Q4 results later this year, employees and investors will be watching closely for signs of layoffs. If past patterns hold, a formal announcement of layoffs at Accenture could follow soon.

What’s your take on Julie Sweet’s bold moves at Accenture? Will layoffs and a culture shake-up spark a turnaround, or is it a gamble too far? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and subscribe to HR Digest for the latest on leadership shifts, workforce trends, and how they’re reshaping the C-suite. Don’t miss our next deep dive, sign up now!

https://www.thehrdigest.com/why-past-trends-point-to-accenture-layoffs-in-2025/

Chief Transformation Officer.....

So much experience for someone that is probably not even 40 years old. smh

Early Retirement Program, RIF, and all the talk of cost cutting so that another C Suite title can be created. A position that, most would question, should be the skills of the current $15M per year CEO. smh

Do you know that in EMEA they cancelled all company cars, no more. All savings, everywhere. If anything happen with OpenAI deal for 30B$....

We want to catch up on our former newsletter where we reported on an Executive Board decision regarding a recurring workforce transformation.

On August 5th and September 1st, 2025, the SE Works Council (Europe) was informed about urgent measures which impact all board areas under the codename “Project Mongoose” in an extraordinary consultation. This project is the implementation of the announcement by Dominik Asam and Christian Klein during the past Q2 Earnings Call, which can be summarized by the headlines of 1-2% reduction of SAP’s global workforce.

The SE Works Council (Europe) expresses its deep concern over the decision to proceed with another wave of redundancies in 2025, marking the second such initiative this year following P24 (“Project 24”) Wave 3. Despite reassurances to the contrary by the Executive Board earlier this year, this development underscores a continued pattern of workforce changes without adequate time to assess the prior transformations. This raises the question: What problems may lie beneath SAP’s Half Year financial figures that have forced the Executive Board to resort to such urgent measures?

While the rationale for Project Mongoose has been framed and presented in terms of adapting to technological change – particularly referencing the effects of AI and location strategy – the actual measures appear to us better aligned with short-term financial targets rather than strategic transformation, wrapped in “lean adjustment” terminology. This paradox between reasoning and actions risks undermining employee trust.

The lack of clarity around projected cost savings, customer impact, AI-related redesign, and location strategy further exacerbates our concerns. We fear these decisions may lead to long-term harm – both talent loss and diminished customer trust. The current lack of transparent and straightforward communication creates uncertainty, which reduces organizational efficiency and erodes confidence in the Executive Board.

The SE Works Council (Europe) urged management to present the reasons for the job cuts in more detail and depth, commit to meaningful reskilling initiatives, and avoid reducing strategic workforce decisions to routine cost-cutting exercises, as to us the current Executive Board decision does not seem to be connected to a discernible logic. Following Project Mongoose and P24, we are worried that SAP and the Executive Board might adopt this practice as another adjustment tool that may be used freely whenever financial targets suggest it.

We remain committed to monitoring the execution process, both from the SE Works Council (Europe) perspective and through the local Employee Representations of the impacted countries. During the consultation process, we have been assured that all impacted employees are treated with respect and dignity and within the legal guarantees of the respective countries. Also, at the end of this consultation, we will keep advocating for a long-term vision that values the expertise and dedication of our workforce. We will come back with more information on this topic in due time.

As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions and look forward to your feedback.

Does the voluntary severance program genuinely aim to reduce the number of involuntary layoffs, or is leadership planning to cut 2,000 positions regardless of how many people opt in?

Review google for leadership salaries. They also need to take a pay cut. You could gather 1 million dollars easily. Perhaps a flatter organization

All we care about these days is whoever comes in with the lowest bid! We don’t even condition anymore or account for needing more PMT for a contractor that is a total sh-t show needing more PMT. Total sh-t show contractor and cut the PMT!!!!

From what I’ve seen, none of it makes sense unless you look at the cost savings. Which means nothing will actually get fixed, but a whole lot of people who truly know what they’re doing will be gone.

This company is constantly buying and cutting us labor how are there not more reports??

These layoffs are consistent with Oracle's business model. That is to say:

1. Acquire technology/companies
2. Titrate down all investment in that product's innovation, engineering/dev, support
3. Milk the support stream (possible since the customers are now "over the Oracle barrel")
4. Discard the dessicated corpse.
5. Rinse, repeat

Given this model there is no such thing as too many reductions.

Questions?

True? Another cost cutting move forcing employees into long commutes.

I’ve heard factories are being asked to cut >$50M yearly while still ramping, that’s an extreme target. In the semiconductor space, savings of that magnitude usually come from headcount reductions, vendor contract restructuring, consolidation of manufacturing operations, etc.
Trying to hit that scale of savings during a ramp is especially problematic because ramping fabs need additional headcount, training, materials, and spare parts. That makes it contradictory: the fabs are being asked to grow output and shrink cost simultaneously.

Mohammad Yunus’s reputation (reducing headcount in Assembly/Test in Asia) suggests a playbook of workforce reduction as the primary lever. Bringing that mindset to U.S. fabs is dangerous and reckless from a senior leader driving knowledge drain. I’m surprised employees are not organizing to join Unions.

TI may have set itself up by over-promising Wall Street and under-investing in scalable cost infrastructure. The resulting “savings at any cost” mentality risks not only operations, but also employee trust and legal exposure.

Exxon Mobil Corp XOM recently reported in its 10-K filing that its global workforce decreased by 1,000 to 62,000 personnel in 2022. This was due to cost-cutting measures intended to increase shareholder returns. It was Exxon's third consecutive year of staff reduction, down from 75,000.

The company also forewarned of potential risks for its operations in Kazakhstan, a nation in central Asia that borders Russia by a distance of 7,644 kilometers (4,750 miles). ExxonMobil’s combined oil and gas output in Kazakhstan was 246,000 barrels last year, which were exported via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). According to the filing, Exxon may face an undeterminable loss in cash flow from its businesses in Kazakhstan if Russia interferes with the pipeline's functioning.

The U.S. oil giant, ExxonMobil, holds a 25% stake in the Tengizchevroil (TCO) oil production joint venture that manages the Tengiz and Korolev oil fields in Kazakhstan. The company also holds a 16.8% working interest in the Kashagan field. Per the filing, ExxonMobil's assets in Kazakhstan generated after-tax earnings of $2.5 billion in 2022.

I thought this was funny. All I did was ask is Stephanie Farris liked?

— here’s the unfiltered version of why a lot of people dislike Stephanie Ferris at FIS:
• Worldpay Disaster – People feel she was part of leadership that massively overpaid ($35B) and then sold it at a huge loss, destroying shareholder value. Many see this as one of the biggest fintech blunders ever.
• Wall Street First, Employees Last – She’s viewed as prioritizing appeasing investors (stock buybacks, dividends, “cost savings”) while cutting thousands of jobs and gutting teams, leaving employees demoralized.
• The “Future Forward” Spin – Her transformation program is seen by critics as corporate jargon masking layoffs and cost-slashing, without a real growth strategy.
• Reactive, Not Visionary – Instead of leading with innovation in a fast-changing fintech/payments space, she’s seen as patching leaks, restructuring, and spinning failures as successes.
• Trust Issues – After major service outages and technology failures, people blame her for not modernizing systems fast enough. Customers and partners feel burned.
• Culture Ki-ler – Former and current employees complain on forums like Glassdoor and Reddit that under her leadership, morale has cratered, communication is poor, and talented people are leaving.
• Poor Communication & Accountability – Investors and staff alike feel she dodges responsibility, blames “market conditions,” and leans on vague optimism without real transparency.

In short, the harshest critics say: she’s a cost-cutter, not a builder. Instead of driving innovation in payments and banking tech (where FIS desperately needs it), she’s focused on financial engineering and PR spin.

So anyone know specifically why Nexidia hasn’t worked all week? They keep telling us that there was some ingestion issue and that they’re working on it but that type of issue has historically only had a few hour turn around - not days. Has their cheapskate behavior finally come to bite them?

It just goes to show they don’t care about service quality, employees, or clients. It’s always been about the bottom line, and their appetite for more never ends.

You think you’re working with a skeleton crew right now? Think again. They will cut everything beyond the bare bones and still try to cut more. There will be closures, position eliminations, layoffs, and everything you can imagine to minimize expenses, regardless of the impact on employees. You’ll be expected to do the work of five or six people and be happy about it. That’s private equity for you.

Hey Penny Pincher Pennington! The thin veil you put in front of every HO associate’s face will most certainly backfire! Hiring a ton of offshore associates for cheap won’t magically fix your problems!!! We tried it in the past! It doesn’t work!!! Ever heard of the law of diminishing value?? Welp, too late now!!!!!!!

I know this may be a bit of paranoia and this could genuinely be Mike reshuffling leadership, but with the stock not doing well and rumors of company cutting costs I think it's a bit of a hint that there may be lay offs soon.

My group is doing a small amount of hiring, but every time it's posted in Brazil, because we can pay them significantly less than we would have to pay an American.

Funny how we need to RTO to collaborate, but then we continue to hire people in a different country than the people who are back in the office.

Is there really no other way to improve the bottom line? What kind of incompetent leadership is running this place?

Paramount layoffs are on the cards to help cut down costs and reorganize resources for the next stage in the company's evolution.

https://www.thehrdigest.com/merger-manifestations-paramount-layoffs-are-set-to-affect-3000-employees/

The HR Digest
Aug/26/2025 08:24 AM
Location: Los Angeles, California (Paramount HQ)

Questions Remain Over Aluminum Smelter's 'Natural Disaster' Reasoning for Closing, Layoffs, Judge Says

"The undisputed facts support multiple factors contributed to Magnitude 7's decision to curtail operations. Under these circumstances, the court finds that...

https://www.law.com/2025/08/26/questions-remain-over-aluminum-smelters-natural-disaster-reasoning-for-closing-layoffs-judge-says/
Law.com
Aug/26/2025 08:24 PM
Location: Hawesville, Kentucky (Magnitude 7 Metals smelter)