#fear

Senior Exec told me to look for role…
Anyone else hearing this?

Down 9% on opening. Is the jig up at IBM? Will they hit the RA button to try and salvage this sinking ship?

Does anyone have an idea of what teams/departments will be impacted by next week’s layoffs?

Anyone had success getting out of PIP? Or once you are on it, you are done?

It's in the air. You see it in how people walk, how they talk, how they avoid eye contact with certain managers. Everyone is afraid. Afraid of being next. Afraid of speaking up. Afraid of a bad review that could lead to a PIP that could lead to being walked out. That's the culture at Exxon.

You survive one round, you breathe a sigh of relief and think it's over. Then a few months later, another round happens. And another. Layoffs at Gainwell are like those horror monsters that keep coming back no matter how many times you think you've ki-led them. It's never really over.

Has anyone considered that all of these post might be from upper level management to try to constantly scare us into doing more work than is required of us?

Let me describe how this place works. First pillar, punishment. Make a small error and they'll remind you for months. Second pillar, fear. Nobody feels safe. Everyone's waiting for the other shoe to drop. Third pillar, favoritism. Certain people can do no wrong. They get the promotions, the good projects, the protection. Everyone else gets the scraps. That's the culture. That's how they run things. And it's not just unpleasant, but also abusive. It wears you down until you don't even remember what normal feels like.

Seems all leaks have been sealed and no one has any insight into the future of their jobs or this pathetic company that profits off of human misery and disease/disease management. Interesting

They've been offshoring us into oblivion already.

I struggle just to get myself in the door every day. It's only about the paycheck now, and even that can be gone next round.

This place won't last another five years, at best. Don't fool yourself. Find something new while you still have a paycheck.

My wife lost her job three months ago. She worked there nine years. We have four kids. If I get laid off, we're ruined. Please share real information. I just want to provide for my family.

Got a bad feeling that phase 2 of Dan”s Secret Plan (DSP) will be unveiled tomorrow. Really hoping it’s not as bad as phase 1

Once certian projects are finished they will lay off the rest of that department and let L T I take over. Congrulations on working yourself out of a job. HR will mostly be replaced by a computer. Get used to talking to a machine. Middle management will be gutted. They won't be needed since LTI has their own management in place.

Projects will be downsized further and support groups dismantled and/or gone.

Operations you aren't safe. They are looking at you.

Anyone who is of retirement age will be next. If you have several complaints in your file you will also be gone. There won't be anyone left at cpchem except for a few in corporate. You are a number, remeber that. They don't care. They never did.

I can't think of a single thing. Take away the paycheck and the fear of being laid off, and there's nothing left. Why invest effort in a job that could vanish tomorrow, no matter how hard you work? Promotions are a thing of the past. No rewards for anything. Just constant threats hanging over your head.

I used to stay late learning new skills. Used to take on extra projects to grow. Then I watched three people who did exactly that get laid off anyway. Now my full potential is doing my job well enough to not get noticed, because getting noticed here isn't safe anymore.

Leadership needs to get their act together.

Shouting, pressure, and creating a climate of fear in engineering won’t fix anything: in fact, it only makes things worse. Right now, people are acting out of fear instead of making rational decisions aligned with actual goals.

That’s how you end up with poor outcomes, short-term thinking, and teams that stop taking ownership.

If the goal is better performance, this approach is doing the opposite.

After the recent layoffs and seeing my friends left with very little severence I am scared.
I started preparing more for interviews from Home and I am not interested even to show up in office unless there are critical meetings. I used to respect coming to office earlier.
The severance pack received by my friend is very low and I am also scared now with a single email any time my job is in danger. This layoff has collapsed entire morale of the unit and the human work culture.

The moment BNY announces it has “partnered with McKinsey for strategic realignment,” associates react with the same serenity NASA astronauts display when Mission Control calmly radios, “We’re detecting an unexpected structural anomaly. Please remain calm.” A hush ripples through the workforce. Teams icons flip to “Busy,” résumés begin auto launch sequences, and everyone suddenly remembers they have “a friend at JPMC” they should probably ping before atmospheric reentry.

Associates know the pattern. McKinsey doesn’t arrive to optimize joy; they arrive to optimize payload weight — by jettisoning crew.

Soon the PowerPoint Telemetry Flood begins: hundreds of slides filled with arrows, thrust vectors, and phrases like “strategic delayering,” “value capture acceleration,” and “synergy unlocks.” Employees translate these instantly: “layoffs,” “more layoffs,” and “brace for impact.”

Then the consultants appear — bright eyed, hyper confident, and unmistakably born during the iPhone 6 era. They interview associates about the very systems those associates built, taking notes with the intensity of NASA scientists documenting steps to repair a faulty toilet and drain my catheter. Employees smile politely while thinking, “This is how my mission ends — explained back to me by someone who still uses their college meal plan.”

Meanwhile, deep in the executive command module, RV and Dermie quietly cheer as the fear and panic meter spikes and the algorithm for layoffs without severance boots up, humming like a guidance computer that only calculates cost savings.

The BNY EC soon begins speaking fluent McKinsey-ese:

• “Zero based redesign” (cut everything)
• “Workforce rationalization” (cut everyone)
• “Operating model uplift” (cut differently)

Morale drops like a surprise space toilet malfunction in microgravity. Motivation shifts from “doing great work” to “avoiding being noticed,” “avoiding being too unnoticed,” and “finding a new mission before this capsule depressurizes.”

Right on cue, HR issues its standard transmission: all employees must refrain from unprofessional or derogatory comments — including emojis. Violations may result in corrective action up to and including termination. A sarcastic po-p or head ba----g wall emojis could apparently end your career faster than a failed docking maneuver.

By the time the consultants return to Earth, the BNY EC will declare mission success, and associates will quietly wonder whether the strategy ever involved improvement — or simply surviving another orbit on the dark side of the corporate moon.

Got this on good authority. I've been under the 4 days a week RTO since they went to it. 3 days was all I was willing to do.

Have a friend in an high place that warned me of a layoff on Monday for anyone that hasn't complied. I need my job.

The senior leadership in the U.S., particularly the VPs, routinely take credit for the work done by their Indian directors and senior directors. These VPs claim full ownership of projects that their Indian counterparts have actually planned and executed, with no acknowledgment of their efforts.
The VPs have no real understanding of how to effectively execute projects with resources in India and are completely dependent on their Indian directors and senior directors. Despite this reliance, they fail to give the credit where it's due, continuously taking the limelight for work they didn't do. The Indian leaders, who have built strong relationships with their counterparts and teams in India, know how to get the job done efficiently. The VPs, on the other hand, lack the necessary expertise and often sit back while others handle the real work.
Adding insult to injury, the VPs undermine their own directors and senior directors by pretending to be supportive of the India teams. They put on a show, claiming to protect these teams from exploitation, like avoiding late-night meetings, but in reality, they are the ones fostering a toxic environment where credit is stolen, and recognition is denied.
The directors and senior managers are too afraid to speak up, fearing retaliation or career damage. As a result, the VPs continue to bask in the glory of others' hard work, while the real contributors remain unnoticed and unappreciated.
This toxic culture of credit theft and the undermining of competent leadership is a long-standing issue that severely damages morale and fosters an environment of fear. If you’re considering a position here, be aware that your hard work will likely be stolen by those higher up the chain with no recognition for you.
Bottom Line: Look elsewhere if you want a workplace where your contributions are valued and credited, and where real leadership is respected.

Nielsen has always run on fear. Intimidation is standard. And the PIP is their favorite tool. You have to leave your dignity at the door to work here.

I do my best for T and been raising my family. In 2018 I got the hint that all things may move to Dallas as they started to let go off people in CA and did a force move to Austin. However, I didn’t. Every day, I wake up with no certainty, not owning anything, living with frustration and fear on what T might do next, as I watch talent go out the door. I feel like a failure in life unable to risk anything to achieve stability. Yes I get a paycheck paying bills but no happiness

All sr managers in my org got let go this week, and I bet we are next. Anyone else get told to work form home next week?

"A payment in the amount of four weeks of base salary for your first year of employment plus one week’s salary for each additional year of employment, based on your most recent hire date, up to a combined maximum of 26 weeks of base salary."

I have just under 15 years of service to the company with numerous awards and promotions for good performance. Like many here, I have poured blood sweat and tears into my job going above and beyond for this company.

All those efforts are now in the dustbin and I am being shown the door with just 18 weeks of pay (which will be fully subject to tax).

As an older person with specialist skills, I am not easily going to find another similar role, if at all. The future seems very dark and uncertain and I am fearful

It's not as if it will ever pay off. The only thing one can hope for is to be worked to the point of exhaustion, ditched and replaced. Working hard once made sense. Putting in some extra effort opened doors and created opportunities. It's pure masochism these days. What is it? Fear, habit, delusions that it might help you keep the job?

Peak combo of constant crises and steady decline, with the daily expectation of joblessness.

I would otherwise be out without a second thought. I don't know what your experience is, but there are barely any jobs out there. I reached my peak burnout just as there are no options left. Well, I'll just tread water here until better times, trying not to go nuts from having to show up here every day.

It’s bad all the time. I mean if there is anything in particular not to look forward to?

Working in complete fear is fun. Get rid of ELTs for Real Change

Welcome BNYs new Agentic Platform! Here you get to help create your very own AI employee that will eventually take your job!

This place is a joke.

I just read an article that said many people are forgoing PTO due to fear of layoffs, and I realized I'm one of them. They really conditioned us like dogs, didn't they?

Can we have at least a week where we don't have to worry about cuts? Just a single one?

How are you mentally preparing for it ?

The talks of tough guys on this post board… what is going on at ONHD. What is we in for next 3 month??

Isn’t it strange that AI is being pushed down our throats and the more we use it the better it’s able to get? Just seems like we are contributing to our own downfall here as a human race. I feel like it’s a natural instinct to opt out of something like this.

You used to be able to stand up to your boss at Ford and know it wouldn't cost you your job. Not anymore. I drafted a long reply to my boss on Friday. Pointed out why his decision was flawed. Sat there for ten minutes. Then deleted it. These days, staying quiet is safer. Hate that I have to do that.

A few years ago I witnessed the best guy on our team fired in a thirty second phone call and I haven't forgotten since that day that nothing here is safe.

Dearest gentle reader, it has come to this author’s attention that all is not glittering in the oil patch, particularly within the cold, steely walls of Chevron.

While the company boasts of record-setting efficiency, measured by colorful scorecards that are all the rage this season, the loyal workers—those remaining, at least—are being squeezed until they are positively breathless, expected to drive performance while looking over their shoulders.

'Tis whispered that the infamous leader, the Cryptkeeper himself, MW, cares not a wh-t for the human cost of his grand ambitions, treating seasoned staff as mere overhead to be deleted, rather than the lifeblood of the enterprise, as he searches for his next low-cost geography “Diamond” of the season and incessantly prods his subjects to most expeditiously dispatch labor abroad.

With thousands of souls reportedly cast out in a relentless drive to slash costs, one wonders if the "Human Energy" touted in this company’s advertisements refers to the energy it takes to flee the sinking ship, or perhaps, the sheer audacity of laying off much more than the reported 20% of the workforce, while demanding more with less.

The atmosphere, by all accounts, is less "energy giant" and more "relentless harvester," leaving one to wonder who, if anyone, will be left to turn out the lights in Houston.

Fear not, gentle reader, for there is much more merriment to share. The ton demands it, and we shall oblige. I leave you with this juicy riddle: who is the Diamond that shines so bright—albeit unnaturally—that he lights up the dark halls of the Houston dungeon and is—dare we say this—in an entanglement? One hint: Chicklets