You are definitely not finished in this industry, but your chances of finding a job will be much better if you
Network, Network, Network,
Reach out to head-hunters,
Think outside the box what you can do.
PS...Strongly suggest you look for some sort of work (even part time) just to have it on your resume and stay in a employable mindset. I drew a very very small salary as a consultant to a friends company , but it looked good on my resume while I was out looking.
Posts mentioning hashtag #gold
Below are all the posts — topics as well as replies — that mention the hashtag #gold.
Mention #gold in your post to continue the discussion!
OP - in this long post you articulated what I felt but was unable to articulate. Thank you for that. This is spot on and pure #gold.
@NTaeAv4-3jjq, I totaly agree with you. True #GOLD post.
We must not take this as a grain of salt. Before there were rumors, and Bam! Look what happened, this Holy restructuring came into play and many lost their means of supporting their families. I would say that we all must develop a backup plan. This is the cost of Big Business! They do not care about the little man. It is for us to care about ourselves and our loved ones that depend on us. God bless and provide for us all.
#GOLD Post - you nailed it - you cannot cut your way to profits by doing layoffs. cannot...
This is a business that requires knowledgeable people. Until they understand what we do and more important what our customers need we will never win. You cannot cut your way to profits. Long term the problem gets worse. Your best people are gone and the rookies don't know what to do. Its a real shame we don't get it.
Yes, layoffs are happening at RBC
Things will get worse. I see that all companies have thriving boards here on layoffs dot com but no discussions here even though I see discussion threads with 100s or 1000s of views. Why are RBC so silent - fear? Yep, that's the culture here at RBC, rule with fear and hope that people will just put up with all that management BS.
Meanwhile, the executive lineup keeps increasing bonus payments, compensation keeps going up - the little guy is silent and will be discarded as the need be.
Sad times in Toronto...
#GOLD post
A great idea.
I have a bit more transformative proposition: Let's have IBM, Intel, Cisco, HP, Oracle and let's say Verizon, all merge into one big blob of legacy clusterf**k - that way analysts will have to track a single declining trajerctory and we'd be able to rip off the band aid much faster.
How does this sound?
Post ID: @NGJslhx-fdf
just tagging this so folks can find it:
#GOLD thread #USEFULTHREAD #Annuity #Chevron
Lump sum vs Annuity
Are there any statistics on what percentage of folks take the Lump sum Vs the Annuity ?
just an entry with the #GOLD Post tagging - good post @NCCWuEb
Oracle - How do they select the people that get laid off ??
I know this might seem like a stupid question. But, I have always wondered about the people are selected for the layoff. I have been here for 15 years. I went through this before. How are the SCs and Business Development employees selected? Is it truly the ones that don't kiss a-- as much? Do they go to each manager and the direct manager makes the selection? Just curious. I would love the find how the 'List' is compiled by these heartless f...ks. It is really politics? Performance? I just don't understand how some continue to survive and others let go. I have seen some very talented and smart people let go here over the years. They perform and very productive. Last quarter global marketing conducted a layoff. Basically, they said anyone that was not located at HQ had to go. Still others not at HQ survived the layoff. I guess they need some sort of business justification to avoid lawsuits?
Now, it seems to be a layoff every quarter. They like to do layoffs in smaller sizes during the year in order not to attract attention from the press. Just rotate around the various groups and divisions. It always seems the M6s that report the M6s and don't how any direct reports always find a place to land. They would rather layoff a few IC3s and IC4s and protect the worthless Senior Directors and VPs.
By the way, I asked my manager if they were going to be layoffs last week. He said, no I have not heard a thing. Well, I found out he attended the 'Confidential Managers Meeting - Notification & Alerts for June 1 conference call. Really, I guess I'm naive. We have been thru s..t. together. Why not a heads up?
This long #Cisco thread with #layoffadvice is #GOLD
OP, your signature is pure #GOLD
Sincerely,
Current Employee hoping not to get fired as each birthday passes.
Thanks, OP. #GOLD post.
If You Stay, Push Back
Honeywell is notorious for finding ways to break unions and strikes. A frontal attack will not work unless it is organized world wide.
If you decide to stay at Honeywell for a while, here's another approach. This is especially important for managers, though a little riskier for them.
Learn from Gandhi. Don't accept the BS. Push back in a peaceful way.
For example, stop calling people "resources" and "assets". HR (and not just at HI) has been taught to detach from people by acting like they are not human. Worked well for Nazi Germany, as an extreme example. Let's stop making it easier for managers and ourselves to watch all the talent walking out the revolving door.
When someone is leaving the company, say goodbye. If it's a RIF, VRIF, retirement, or new job, take the time and effort to give that person a heartfelt sendoff. Set up an offsite party (since HI frowns upon it) and let the PERSON know you will miss him or her.
Despite all the company policies to the contrary, care about your fellow workers, and show it. Help others, and reinforce others when they help you.
As long as you stay, do not fall into despair. All is not yet lost.
Push back by demonstrating you care about your fellow employees, no matter how uncomfortable HI tries to make it. If enough people do this, a few execs will be brave and do the same. (They are most at risk for treating people like human beings). Keep it growing at the grass roots level. It may never reach the top, but it won't matter. Everyone else will get it.
If you stay, push back.
I suggest that somebody needs to monitor the productivity of the people monitoring my productivity!
You nailed it. #GOLD
They are here to protect the company
I have never worked at a company where HR has been worth a damn. I have first-hand experience at a previous company when my manager wrote up lie after lie on my annual evaluation. All HR would do is allow a rebuttal. No investigation. No interviews. Just a 'that is the way it is' attitude. (My leaving that job brought me to WM.) They protect the company as they listen to the employee and pretend to be their friend and have their best interests in mind. They follow the orders of leadership.
They are there to protect the company. Period.
With RIFs, they are not the judge or the jury. They are the executioner. They have to be. It is their job. If they don't like doing that part of their job, then maybe they need to find another career.
This was posted by Lou C. Ferr , @MEHW8km-1nbz. Thank you, OP, #GOLD poat
Unlimited Vacation
I work at a major retailer who recently adopted this vacation policy for certain upper levels of management. I suspect that soon the policy will roll out to all salary folks. Let's face it, this policy is a shrewd but effective business move.
The company gets to paint it as wide open unlimited vacation. The truth is that people take less vacation because of peer competition and manager approval or pressure to be at work. HR is NOT in the business of making things awesome for the workers, whether salary or hourly. Labor is like equipment. HR wants to buy the best performing equipment for the lowest price, or lowest cost of ownership. But they don't want to say that.
Unlimited vacation looks and sounds great. But the reality is they hope to lower the cost of ownership for the equipment, us. If a piece of equipment acts up or doesn't function well, or performs when you need it, what do you do? You replace it with a newer cheaper version that will do what you need it to, and you do what you can to lower your TCO or total cost of ownership.
Pure #gold post
India is where you call for assistance with company issues and in turn they read from a script, ask you a hundred unintelligible questions and then offer you no answers or solutions at all. After one hour on the phone, most of that time on hold, they tell you they are escalating the issue to a higher level and you receive an invaluable ticket number. You can write the ticket number on a post-it note and decorate you desk or computer monitor with it. I've been told that when you collect enough of these post-it notes, like one thousand, you can redeem them for SYWR points to supplement your new and improved associate discount!
Was wandering the same. Thank you OP, and thanks for good replies as well. #GOLD post
What happens to your pension if you resign?
I'm tired of working in such a toxic environment, my heart isn't in it anymore. I'm just not sure what happens to my pension if I leave the company. Can anyone offer some insight?
Thanks, OP. Pure #GOLD
Seven Reasons Your Employer Is Hurting Your Career
The company has a poor image… and your image may suffer from “guilt by association”.
The company has a poor culture… and your attitude and motivation may wither.
The company tolerates poor managers… and your happiness and success may suffer working for a bad one.
The company does not develop their employees… and you may be stuck in a repetitive, dead-end job.
The company’s financial performance is poor… and your success and job may be jeopardized.
The company undervalues their employees… and you may be underpaid for your contributions.
The company makes you feel valued with awards and recognition… and you may continue to work there without recognizing many other rewards that are missing, such as income and promotions.
#gold post - "I had a great day, despite what the news is saying."
The news media has really taken the latest news and sensationalized it. Sears is still open for business folks and I had a great day at work.
My day started out early and it was a b--chilly, but it turned out to be a sunshine filled day outside AND inside the store.
I helped a war veteran buy a dishwasher, a guy buy jewelry for his love, and a mom buy some clothes for her little boy who isn't so little anymore. She had been buying his clothes at sears since he was a baby and she said she will continue to do so. I even signed her up for a charge and a SYW.
That was my morning, this afternoon I worked a lease deal on a TV, sold a washer and dryer and on it went.
The members who bought these items all had one thing in common, they are loyal. They have a bit of sears running thru their veins. They come in and find great comfort in knowing that sears has been and will continue to be there for them.
We get the member what they need by any means necessary. This is one mess that cannot be fixed with our trusty old craftsman wrench, but it can be fixed with a smile, positive attitude and continuing to help our members. They count on us.
Some stores are do profitable they will never go anywhere. Sadly some may have to close, but the majority are not going anywhere.
They are tried and true, Sears blue!
Don't let this crazy media get to you folks. They are usually wrong anyway.
I am so eager thinking about the opportunity that awaits Me on my shift tomorrow. Positivity breeds positivity. Let us not forget that.
@2nfi GOOG and MSFT hire only a small fraction of H1Bs... The program is intended to benefit companies that behave like GOOG but it's not how things are playing out. 50%+ of H1Bs are paid at the very low end of the spectrum, barely making the minimum prescribed by law. For
Alternatively, you may check out the numbers below, you'll see three positions that GOOG filled with 70K engineers in 2016 (there are many more, but here is just three for you)...
http://h1bdata.info/index.php?em=Google&job=&city=thorn&year=2016
So let me play this out for you - the three positions at issue are in Thornton, Colorado - north of Denver and east of Boulder, the city of #gold. Google runs a data center over there and there is not much talent around - yet, if they were to pay a reasonable and market price for the positions, let's say 120K instead of 70K, you'd find a bunch of folks from Michigan or Oregon who would move there in a snap. The money is good and the company is stable. Yet, they opt to keep the wages low and fish for foreign talent at 70K which is not the market price. So, in order to avoid paying market, they are importing resources with no import tariffs.
So, let's invert this a bit. Let's try to do the same thing with doctors - so, I think that $200K family doctor is too expensive, let's import Russian MDs with excellent training and keep that price at $100K. How about accountants and lawyers, let's do the same thing. Veterinarians - OK, that works too, nurses - we have a shortage, let's do it. On, and on, you can cover pretty much every profession here and there will be millions of people from all over the world lining up for those jobs. Yet, we don't do it, we pay market prices and supply/demand self-regulates. Yet, in tech, we somehow created this monster immigration program that hurts both domestic workers by depressing prices and the population as the whole as potential entrants into IT job market are deterred as entry level position compensation is kept artificially low.
Pure #GOLD
In an analogy, so to speak, Altice (ATS) are "your parents" and their employees are their "babies".
And babies cry for three reasons:
They're in pain
They're hungry
They're asking for some love
With what this company is doing to you, is there any wonder why the techs are "crying like babies"?
The symptoms are the same.
And it hasn't ended. There WILL BE more coming the techs way. MORE PAIN. MORE HUNGER. A greater display of the "LACK OF LOVE" or respect technicians, who have worked damn hard to make the old Cablevision revered in the industry. The past history of Altice will continue.
Soon it Will BE too late....unless you guys ACT NOW.
Otherwise, the "CHILD ABUSE" will continue.
You nailed it. True #GOLD post
100% completely out of touch!
It seems that the "top shelf" board and CEO included haven't got a clue to reality.
I don't say this to appear insulting but the facts are present to the demise of STT.
Massive class action lawsuits, endowing temporary statues with 7000 layoffs looming, hiring outside execs with big bonuses, creating frivolous expensive roles to satiate a social cause that doesn't exist.
Look around you is it diverse enough? Are we all getting the same lousy pay no matter what?
A resounding YES unless of course you are the bloated top!
They are the elite sinking on the titanic refusing to board the lifeboats because they know they are unsinkable! They will have a new gig with another platinum parachute.
But just like the titanic those of us that DO need a life boat need to scramble since there are not enough.
It's brutal out there, still trying to find a new job. Completely rejected by all financial institutions.
Guess I'll be sinking with a large number of good souls.
Thank you, OP, this is a #GOLD post
Well wishes
I'm one of those that reads every new posts yet never comments.
I've worked with many of you in many locations across North America. I can honestly say I'm honored to have met you and appreciate the time we've worked together and learned something from each of you.
No matter the outcome I truly hope for all of you to find peace in whatever the results may be. Either way it lands for me I'm grateful for the time and lessons and that the anxiety and sadness I've experienced since 2013 are close to over.
The wish I have is for each of you is to find peace in the decision and that whatever the new path brings, brings you happiness and the ability to provide and care for your loved ones.
Sorry for the sappy post but I only have the ability to appreciate what's been given and what's in store.
#Gold turd
Too Inefficient & Expensive
Honestly - you're all too expensive, lazy, and inefficient. You should be all so lucky that we're only trimming 40% and not 60% of the staff. Maybe this will teach you all a lesson in economics
Turns out my coworker and friend had it out for me. We’ve been working together for several years and became, what I thought, were good friends until I found out from my manager that they had been reporting my criticism about the company and management decisions during our personal conversations to our manager. The news hit me like a bucket of cold water being dumped on my head on a cold winter day. The manager showed me copies of emails and internal messages were shared then wrote me up and suspended me until further notice from HR. I’m probably going to get fired but what pains me the most is being betrayed from someone I considered a close friend. I feel like a complete idiot for trusting another co-worker. I never saw this coming. Should I confront them now or wait until HR’s final decision?
1aql, you nailed it. true #gold
your fancy iphone: designed by people in their 40s
your fancy Tesla: designed by people in their 50s
your fancy Intel CPUs that power your computers: designed by people in their 40s
your fancy C++/python languages: designed by people in their mid 30s
your over priced cup of latte from Petes: designed by people in their 40s
your Lithium Ion batteries that power all your hipster toys: designed by people in their late 50s
your hipster Fender Jaguar offset guitar: designed by someone in their 50s
all you need to know from this site
The lack of activity on this site strongly suggests there are no actual layoffs going on at Intel right now... But who knows, performance management and project cancellations can occur at any time, and in recent years, they seem to like to do get rid of people between April and June.
Headcount targets vary with financials, so you can never be too sure what will be the next layoff criteria. From most endangered to least, it seems to be IR, SSL5, SSL4, long time in grade with no recent EE or SSL2/SSL1. Sometimes they do weird reachbacks and combinations ("grade 7 and higher, and two or more SSL4s in last three years"). Whatever. The targets drive the criteria but the basics are pretty simple.
A bad review or stagnation doesn't necessarily mean you will get laid off this year or next, but it does suggest you and your current team/manager are not "clicking" so you should look around for other positions, internal and/or external. Be proactive and don't wait for sh-- to land on you. Internally, this means finding a manager who appreciates your contributions and likes you. Some call this game playing and politics, but that's the system and if you can't work with it, you might as well leave.
Even if you are a top performer, looking around is a good idea - I know several people who got big raises by going outside. No reason to give Intel more loyalty than they give you.
Nobody, especially nobody posting on this board, knows what is going on in terms of when or how big the next layoff will be or if there will "just" be performance management this year. It all depends on budgets. Besides... what would you do with this information? Get started on cleaning out your desk? You're better off doing that low-boil job search in the background and it might pay off (with a higher wage) if you get laid off or not.
Most important: Do not get locked into dead languages and technologies that only Intel uses. Case in point: There is very little market for 15+ years experience Perl and Tcl programmers these days in the outside world. Keep current. Intel is not looking out for you.
#gold 20 best interview questions
Why we should be worth to a new employer
Question I received in an interview: why should I hire someone from a failing company like Sears? Answer (it wasn't exactly the following but something along the lines of):I have been set targets and exceeded them, I have implemented projects on time and under budget, I have obtained all the results within the deadlines set for me and done in a collaborative way. This has all been accomplished while working for a failing company, where there is no morale, where no one cares, where there is no budget or support. Accomplished while leaders are absent and while peers leave taking processes with them that I need to help get my work done. Along this journey I have had to inspire my depressed peers and directs who I need the help of to get the work I need done. Sears has been the most valuable experience of my life because it has proved to me that not only can I get results for successful companies I can also get results when everything is stacked against me, you will not get that from someone at Google who would need a lifetime of experience to match the challenges I face at Sears in a month" this was a top company and I knew when I provided the answer they liked what I said...please use it for yourself, not only use it embrace it because it is true.
Repost from @M0JVlat-tpr . Thanks, OP. True #GOLD post
Gaining some control in this fluid situation
Thanks to everyone for their posts, for some it is comforting gaining some control in this fluid situation to others it helps them prepare.
Having read these boards for a weeks I have prepared myself financially, legally as well as informed my partner what might be coming (helping them greatly)
These updates from you have helped substantially, for those who don't post come off of the sidelines and contribute (do it from your phone not your work computer as they could track that) your contributions would go a long way in providing comfort, control and stability to your colleagues and their families lives.
I want to thank you, OP. True #GOLD post
Thank you for changing my life.
I want to thank the person at CCi who laid me off. I want to thank you for not recognizing and acknowledging my talent, skill set and drive. I want to thank you for trying to tear me down while I was there because you only made me stronger. I want to thank you for giving me a shot at a real career where I have accelerated to exactly where I should have landed because of my work ethic, knowledge and strengths. I want to thank you for making CCi just a stepping stone in moving forward, even if I didn't know it at that time.
My talents, intelligence, integrity and morals are recognized and appreciated. They are rewarded, not looked down upon because I have a heart and was brought up knowing what is right and what is wrong. I took your management style and did the opposite.
Thanks, OP. True #GOLD post. I can relate, specially to this:
I will not miss bad Managers.
I will not miss not getting a raise in the last 8 years.
I will not miss NO 401(k), matching plan.
I will not miss asking for your email account
I will not miss a lead calling for my register number every hour.
I will not miss working on Thanksgiving.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/india-universal-basic-income-combat-alleviate-poverty-economic-survey-a7555416.html
http://www.businessinsider.com/india-government-trial-universal-basic-income-2017-2
#GOLD post :-)
Top Ten List
Here's the Top Ten things you should do if you think you might get laid off this round...and if you are sure that you won't be laid off, just keep dreaming.
10...Take home your personal items. Sure they will let you pack them up or they'll do it for you and ship it to your home, but that just adds to the emotions of the day and not in a good way. It's your stuff. Sort through it and leave, take, or toss. Those cough drops that expired two years ago are your business, no else's. What else do you have to do right now, anyway?
9...When your office/desk is clean and clear, do the same with your email, computer files, and company phone. Copy your contacts, email home your pictures and personal emails...you get the idea.
8...Go to HR Express and print/save any documents you might need. Performance agreements, retirement account information. Make sure you know how to log on from home.
7...Think about any time you may have given your IBM email or phone as contact information or as a log in for an online account. Change it now to your personal information. If you wait until after your IBM account has been deactivated (which will happen by the end of the day you are notified), it may be more difficult to change.
6...A few days before notifications begin, have fish or shrimp for lunch, but don't eat it all. Stash it somewhere in the office that will be hard to find but easy to smell. A symbolic recognition of the rotting corpse that IBM has become.
5...This one is pretty obvious, but if you are in denial (as are many) you haven't done it yet. Update your resume. Update your LinkedIn profile (remember use your personal contact info only) and make sure you have made all appropriate connections. Contacts are much easier to make now vs. later.
4...Have a little fun in the break room. Putting salt in the sugar shaker is beneath you, but swapping the nasty powdered creamer with flour...now that's funny right there. Let your lefties in the fridge pile up like obnoxious petrie dishes. Take the dusty, curled postings on the bulletin boards and turn them upside down.
3...Once you're gone you will be easily forgotten while those who remain are left to deal with their survivor guilt and their continued fear of the next round. Leave some little "mementos" of yourself here and there. Create a folder on a shared drive with your name on it. Password protect your files. Leave your business cards in random spots around the office. I. Was. Here.
2...Plan your reaction in case you are notified. My suggestion...as minimal a reaction as you can muster. Say as little as possible. Show no emotion. Do your homework so you can ask questions that are as difficult as possible.
1...Keep your shoulders back and your chin high. If you are selected for layoff, you are being set free from the misery that IBM has become. There are better days to come. Even if you are shattered, don't them see you sweat or cry or get angry. Your emotions still belong to you...don't share them with the ba$tard$. They've taken their pound of flesh and then some. Don't give them anymore. Go home to your family and begin again.
And this one is for the brave. As you leave, take your magnetic name plate from outside your office and stick it on the bathroom door. You've just been flushed. I can't imagine a better spot for it. And how funny would that be if everyone did that as their parting gesture? What a great new IBM tradition to begin! #takethenameplatechallenge
#Gold Post!
Discussing Confidential information
I read lots on here about people discussing Oracle Confidential information. This information is company proprietary so we shouldn't be discussing it in case Oracle Corporate finds out and you get in trouble. Things like RIFs in groups shouldn't be discussed either as that's against our terms of employment. When somebody gets a severance package then that is a NDA so shouldn't commented on. I work in sustaining.
Medical insurance and COBRA Question
Is #Lowes going to discontinue our medical insurance the same day we are laid off (I am pretty sure I am gone, just my gut feeling)?
Does anyone know many #gold coins #COBRA is going to cost me per month and if I need to insure my whole family?
And does COBRA cover medical insurance only, or vision and dental insurance as well?
#GOLD POST
Sending positive thoughts
With the holiday season upon us, just wanted to send out something positive to those who have had to leave the company this year - especially those who were hoping to be here for the long haul. Hope new opportunities have shown themselves, and that 2017 brings you a positive light. Peace.
oh come now. As we speak the Top Alchemists of EARTH are diligently striving to create the Miracle Metal that will Release The Plasmons without a melty point approaching that of Stick Butter. #GOLD is dead! And the Lube shall not suffer, nor shall the Wretched Surfaces That BEAR The AIR stay ensconced in their filthy coats of many Colours
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/11/18/elon-musk-says-robots-will-push-us-to-a-universal-basic-income-heres-how-it-would-work.html
https://medium.com/basic-income/on-the-record-bernie-sanders-on-basic-income-de9162fb3b5c#.e2uamfxt9
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/22/silicon-valley-universal-basic-income-y-combinator
http://www.ibtimes.com/undocumented-immigrants-taking-jobs-us-citizens-most-americans-believe-immigration-2054509
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/22/us/immigrants-arent-taking-americans-jobs-new-study-finds.html?_r=0