#morale

We lost more than 20 in West Michigan on Monday. Some with over 30 years experience in their positions. And, these weren’t positions with surplus people. We are all overwhelmed with normal day to day work loads, and it just got worse because of these layoffs! I say no bonuses for leadership as long as there are job eliminations or layoffs!

BNY Mellon recently declared that “culture isn’t built in conference rooms—it’s built in moments like this,” referring to a stationary bike marathon.

One bike, eight hours, and a simple question: How far can we go when everyone contributes their energy to a shared goal?

Apparently, the answer is: not very far, especially if the goal is building a healthy organizational culture.

THE THEATER OF PEDAL-POWERED CULTURE

Let’s pause to admire the sheer audacity of this metaphor.

Culture, we are told, is not about trust, transparency, or leadership—it’s about sweating together in a room while hashtags flutter overhead like corporate confetti. (#BNYLife, #BNYBetterthanSlicedBread, #FreeCoffee, #EmpathyLivesHere, #WellnessinLayoffs…)

Employees were encouraged to cheer, laugh, and pedal as if their collective energy could erase the memory of strategic missteps, toxic work environments, and the erosion of morale.

It was less “culture in motion” and more “culture in denial.”
The strongest cultures, we’re assured, are defined by shared experiences. True—but those experiences usually involve competent leadership, clear communication, and respect. Not a spin class disguised as a corporate epiphany.

FAILED LEADERSHIP: THE REAL RESISTANCE SETTING

BNY’s leadership seems convinced that culture is a cardio exercise. Yet the risks of failed leadership are far more serious than a skipped workout:

• EROSION OF TRUST & MORALE: Employees don’t lose faith because they missed a turn on the bike. They lose faith when leaders fail to demonstrate character, competence, and connection.
• POOR STRATEGIC EXECUTION: Pedaling in circles is a perfect metaphor for what happens when vision and goals are disjointed. The bike goes nowhere, much like projects derailed by ineffective communication.
• TOXIC WORK ENVIRONMENT: Micromanagement and favoritism can’t be fixed with cheering. Burnout isn’t solved by hashtags.
• DECLINE IN PRODUCTIVITY & INNOVATION: Employees aren’t reluctant to share ideas because they lack cardio endurance. They’re reluctant because poor leadership discourages collaboration and risk-taking.
• RESISTANCE TO CHANGE: Leaders who cling to outdated processes create stagnation. A stationary bike is, after all, the ultimate symbol of motion without progress.
• FINANCIAL & REPUTATIONAL DAMAGE: No amount of sweaty selfies can offset declining market and client confidence or reputational hits.

Culture isn’t built on hashtags—it collapses under them.

WHAT A HEALTHY CULTURE ACTUALLY REQUIRES

A healthy culture is not defined by how many miles a stationary bike records. It is defined by:

• TRUST & TRANSPARENCY: Leaders who communicate openly, even when the news is hard.
• STRATEGIC CLARITY: Goals that align with reality, not spin cycles.
• RECOGNITION & FAIRNESS: Environments where employees are valued for real contributions beyond their ability to pedal.
• ADAPTABILITY & GROWTH: Investment in skills, technology, careers and people—not just in stationary bikes.

Culture is built when employees feel safe, supported, and respected—not when they are asked to cheer through layoffs disguised as “shared energy.”

CLOSING SPIN

BNY’s leadership insists that “the strongest cultures are defined by what people experience together.” True enough. But what employees are experiencing together is distrust, burnout, and the gnawing suspicion that hashtags are being used as wallpaper over cracks in the foundation.

Culture is not built on hashtags or stationary bikes. It is built on character, competence, and connection. These traits are somehow not found in our current senior leadership.

Until BNY trades its spin bikes for self-awareness, accountability, and genuine investment in people, the only thing truly “in motion” will be the revolving door of talent being intentionally shoved out the door or willingly heading for healthier organizations.

I’m wondering…

How does he feel about his nickname? Dan the Hatchet Man? I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually likes it.

How does it feel to cause such intense pain and misery to 13,000 individuals, multipled by 3 or 5 when you take into account, the family members of those who have been laid off?

Don’t want to hurt them or show off I survived.

Terrible decisions from Lowell started this spiral, then they bring in Hans who made very poor decisions with Ericsson and big shocker history repeated itself at Verizon. I literally remember the day he was named as CEO, fellow co workers talking about his track record at scratching their heads on why he was named....and the kicker....the new CEO was on the board of directors when they picked Hans. So all the cr-ppy decisions he made can all tie back to the board and their awful decision to bring him on. So now a member of that cr-ppy board of directors is now the CEO and employees and investors are supposed to have some kind of hope in that? I cant believe what this once wonderful company has turned into. All these frontline workers who bust their butts and care about the customers are just tossed to the curb...DURING THE HOLIDAYS. Very heartless. Just think about it...axing 13k individuals in hopes that that news would drive up stock price by a few pennies. Very very sick game they are playing. I left back in 2023 and couldnt be happier. It was so scary and stressful when it happened to me and my heart goes out to those effected. Its so hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel and I know the job market now is much worse than it was in 2023. I genuinely hope you all land on your feet...and soon.

Hi Folks

Thanks for all your hard work and efforts through the year, without you we would be nowhere. I meant even without paying you were still in business.

I know your complaining about the pay, and last minute holiday debacle but the HR women isnt upto it, still we got her an award, we know where to spend the money.

Us execs are doing are last flights and free trips, i meant holidays, around the world for this year. Phew clocked up some points.

Ignore the ten 10 other happy holidays emails your going to get as were spending your money.

Best wishes R & Cam

Good luck, Dan, trying to dazzle customers and grow the customer base—you can’t even take care of your internal customers! I still can’t access the severance portal, even after HR intervention. At this point, it’s laughable. Once again, Verizon fails to execute anything correctly.

Anyone notice (and maybe you’re one) PetroTechs are being parked in functions across the organization not related to their discipline (IT, Finance, Supply Chain). Park until needed? Waiting for an upturn in activity? I can’t imagine they are very happy with these assignments other than getting paid.

Funny how Dan S couldn’t wait to send his email to lay 13k people off. Sent it at 7 am. Well it’s 8 am the next day and we still don’t know which execs, vps, sds and ads got laid off. He laid off all the people that do the actual work but kept all the people who just go to meetings to wag their fingers. Good luck turning this company around with people who don’t want to do a lick of work

Looking forward(not) to all the brown nosing and but kissing the will commence into overdrive in the coming days for those that are left. People jockeying for attention so that they may not be named in the next round.

My whole office is being taken over by Indirect and our positions are being eliminated. The agent was in our store recruiting within the first hour of opening the doors. The effective date is 1/1.

I don't know how it will feel to work the holidays knowing it all ends 12/31. I will take care of people that come in the way I would help a friend, but the numbers, the quotas, the lead calls... none of it matters. I am surprised a bit that we would be kept on board through the eoy, but I supposed they would rather have people clerking in the store for revenue, vs. dealing with a store that can't operate?

Prayers for the rest of your out there 🙏

All of Optum at home needs to be rethought. Leadership in the Midwest is a disgrace, micromanagement is off the charts, leadership is vindictive and retaliatory. They do NOT want to promote you or move you anywhere after hundreds of applications and years into the company. If you say one thing that isn’t liked within Optum you will pay for it until you’re driven to quit from the pressure. This entire company is a disgrace. I PRAY every day I get laid off. Any news for 2026??

I survived. Most of my team made it. And here I am, still unable to relax and sleep. I think this messed me up more than I thought.

For stores to look they way they do this close to Black Friday is deeply concerning. Everything is being run by text messages, I haven’t seen an actual Belk executive in months. I am under the assumption that the RVP and GVP are stretched so thin, they can’t visit all the stores. Freight is pilling up, call outs are through the roof, payroll is less than previous years, workload planning is a joke.

Got an email earlier today saying I got laid off. I’ve been here for 4 years. 4 years loyal to this company and they just fire me like that? It feels like there is no reason for them to let me go aside from cutting cost. I’ve sacrificed so much for this company and they decided to say my work is worthless.

(Repost - the original got nixed, probably because the rest of the post contained foul language)

Anyone else burned out? Skeleton crews, no coverage, questions about things we have no control over, no training... It's getting old

I survived but I don’t feel comfortable now. How long until I’m next? Executive don’t give a cr*p about us. I’m in network assurance and we were already thing with the VSP and bo-m! Hit us 15 more people in our market. What now??

Things never change with this company! Each year, our hours keep getting shorter, yet the workload remains the same, and they still expect everything to be completed. They assume salaried managers will handle it all, but those who work the hardest often burn out quickly. Meanwhile, others seem to get by without any consequences. If you were hoping to earn some extra money for the holidays, be aware that you might only be scheduled to work the day after Thanksgiving—and only if there are call-outs from permanent employees.

The Impact on Morale and Purpose

Your question, "why work hard for this company?" cuts to the heart of employee motivation in this environment.

Betrayal of Purpose: The memo speaks of pride, mission, and strengthening the company. Yet, the layoffs make the reality feel transactional: people are costs to be cut, not valued assets. This strips away any feeling of shared purpose.
The "More Layoffs Coming" Fear: The atmosphere after a major layoff often includes a period of "survivor's guilt" and intense anxiety about the next round of cuts. This fear is a massive morale drain and can lead to lower productivity, as employees may prioritize securing their next role over the company's work.

None of it makes sense. I lost several exceptional people from my team. It feels like the decisions were made strictly by the numbers, and because of that we’ve let go of some truly valuable talent. How is that supposed to work long-term?

I am safe, and I dont feel great. I feel destroyed. So many people around me are gone, and my heart is broken. I can't even understand how we move forward without some of the groups we have lost today

This company is on a death spiral.

The part about being laid off is knowing Verizon is still hiring. It feel like a huge betrayal. Many jobs could have been saved if things were REALLY BEING LOOKED AT!

nothing is waiting good for you here, dont do this to yourself again in 2026

Lost our Director, Area Manager and Supervisor today... Not a good day at Verizon.

I don’t understand this! Whats all this fuss about layoffs happening? There has been no such indication about layoffs. I’ve seen newly hired college grads in BH recently. They are already cutting costs by hiring them (affordable resource)instead of laying off experienced ones.
Its thanksgiving! People have families and don’t want to live in the state of constant fear.

Tldr: No layoffs hinted or happening in BH and let ppl live peacefully!

https://x.com/TheLayoff/status/1991549322509566279

numero uno, today, again.

probably the biggest business news of the day.

it's a sad throne that we occupy right now

I left in 2024, I was laid off. I'm really sorry to hear about the layoff. That's tough &it's okay to feel whatever you're feeling right now. But i know all of you are VERY capable and good at what you do... Sometimes these things happen and they end up leading to something better, even tho it may not feel that way right now. I did and you WILL land at some place that appreciates what you bring. Godspeed.

I just want you all to know that you're in my thoughts and prayers. I have several friends who still work for the company and they're all stressed. This is tough for everyone, especially with it being the holiday season. Hope everyone can lean on each other whether you kept your job or were laid off. Reach out to those who were let go and love on them. As it can put people in a really dark place. To those who were laid off, stay positive and encouraged as something better will come your way!

Getting people who have given years to this company on group calls to tell them they are now unemployed is inhumane

Welp, there you go. He survived, but there's only 2 left out of 10. How can they possibly do that amount of work? So we know that they're just being kept around for knowledge transfer and then he will be gone in Feb/Mar when the next round hits.

We're both pretty upset as the people on the team were really good people and hard workers. No "slackers".

Best of luck to all of you. It's a really sad day for so many people... even for those that "survived".

They just laid-off 13,000 employees. So sad. We did NOT think that this was going to happen a year ago. Some things, like lay-offs are out of the employees control. As they say: "Everything happens for a reason". Our family member is in shock. Been there done that, myself. There IS a light at the end of the tunnel.

When will they realize that getting rid of the best people is only harming the company in the long run? The value of institutional knowledge can't be overstated and they just keep throwing it away like it's nothing.

The town hall today has been disgraceful as to how things discussed. Zero respect for people who have lost jobs and no clarity for employees. So so poor. A lot of shiny slides but no compassion for colleagues

They want us to help shift all our responsibilities and tie up loose ends. I don’t want to look at my work computer let alone help my manager right now.

Relieved tbh - My soul was being crushed and the universe rescuing me because of it.

I got cut and I’m super upset. I was recognized numerous times and was a top performer… and truth be told, I REALLY loved my job and what I did. Loved my market team. Just truly su-ks.. I know cuts are still being made… the way they did this RIF was so unprofessional and unhealthy. I’ve been sick since last week stressing about everything! Hopefully the future holds something better! Good luck everyone!

At least so far. We won't be able to function without them, so I'm assuming either the rest of us will be laid off as well or reassigned to other teams. This will be a long day.

The whole entire organization would be in a better spot if this was a safe and positive environment to work in.

What’s the details on your team? I’m tired of all these group chats with depressed people