Thread regarding Northwestern Mutual layoffs

Ready to hear about banana bread this Friday?

OMG..what complainers.. If you dont like it there, get another job. It is that simple.. Stop acting like children.. Actually children act better.

You are tired of every silly iteration in which this question comes up, @1mop+1psHTv5l?
The rest of us being tired of the constant corporate BS from senior leaders never crossed your mind?

@1mop+1psHTv5l Your post sounds like NM is pretty much a dictatorship, did I understand you correctly?

@2tfq+1psHTv5l I will answer your question with a standard ICS/DW response: NO

Does anyone really know why we have AA or his org? Most companies of NM's size have outsourced the functions we call ICS and Digital Workplace. The entire department is a complete disaster with a lack of standards, direction, talent and support.

@2rvz+1psHTv5l Technically on paper there is none. More just leaders spewing their feelings on The Weekend without cohesion or clarity and just making things worse.

What is the updated sick policy?

Some diverse hires are incompetent. Some non-diverse ones are too. Equal opportunity.

Interesting how some label people they are jealous of as “diversity hires.” Code phrase for their bigotry which should be rooted out of NM at all costs. Don’t blame those “diversity hires” for your own underwhelming career.

The only thing worse than AA is SR. Both diversity hires and it shows in the way they can't handle the job. We can thank NS for both.

correct. be an adult is the way. the problem is that these constant questions and variations on the theme are going to ruin that as well.

if you really want to express displeasure drive the results down in the latest pulse survey.

I've been told by my division's leadership if something happens like that in The Weekend, for example the huge mess about WFH versus PTO, to just ignore the debate and comments and continue with business as usual. Unless we got a formal written memo about it, it's not a policy nor a guideline in our leadership's eyes.

We have the "be an adult" policy and are continuing as such. If we feel under the weather but can still carry out our job duties, we can WFH. When we can't perform our job duties is when we need to take PTO.

Only because you asked, I’ll answer the question speaking as a senior leader.

I'm personally sick of answering the question and talking about it and want to move on. I don’t like coming in the office, but the CEO wants it and I’m expected to lead by example. I’ve been doing this for over a year now and while it su-ks, I’ve adjusted.

I’m tired of every silly iteration in which this question comes up because it’s clear people are just unhappy with the policy and are trying their best to get me in a “got you” scenario that contradicts something I said months ago. It’s likely I’m going to sc--w up and be inconsistent because the policy is stupid and inconsistent. I can’t say that though. I’m also personally annoyed because the questions you ask mostly sound like they come from helpless infants who can think for themselves. Not saying you don’t have any good points, but you sound like my grandchildren.

So that’s what I think. The policy su-ks, we know it su-ks, and I’m sick of having to defend something I don’t even agree with to a bunch of kids that sound like they can’t make adult decisions and lack any judgement or common sense.

It’s clearly a move by NM to minimize remote work flexibility. By not having a clear policy and leaving judgment to middle managers NM can claim flexibility while arbitrary enforcement by management on what constitutes acceptable remote work. Ambiguity creates anxiety and fear. It’s clear the executive leadership lacks the maturity to set clear policy.

AA has always been out for himself and continues to be. He only got to where he is by being a yes man.

It seems like AA is self-promoting in the post below LMFAO

AA is one of the best leaders I’ve ever encountered in my career. If you think he doesn’t care about his team and the broader NM population, you are completely deranged. He is one of the kindest and most caring individuals I have ever met.

Welcome to another episode of Underachieving NM Lifers Yelling at a Cloud.

I'm missing the frustration with this. The PTO has been for sick leave and vacation combined for many years now. Perhaps there was a question that is missing that lead to the comment during The Weekend?

Personally whenever I see AA open his mouth I feel like I lose a few brain cells. The way his brain forms logic is pretty disgusting and I feel like he has a very "sc--w the employees, put the company first" mindset. I've only ever heard from him in the weekend and every time I see him it's just gross to me.

Anyway, as for the pto for sick days thing it's definitely pretty messed up since they were saying the exact opposite the past couple months (even though AA claims otherwise). If the weekend was recorded then I'm sure someone would be able to pull a clip of CM saying the exact opposite of what was said this past Friday. In fact there's probably a slack comment from him somewhere on it too.

Perhaps the most ridiculous part of it all though is the fact that this new update (which again the leadership is falsely claiming is not new) is that it was shared as the answer to a weekend question and isn't given as official policy anywhere. It makes me question the validity of it all. Everything is just so muddled and unclear.

Regardless, it seems that it's ultimately up to manager discretion. I feel for the teams who are run by ego filled middle managers. I don't think there's a lot of those at NM but I don't know all parts of the company that well. We'll see how many managers are lax about enforcing this stuff and whether it will trigger leadership to do something more strict. I'm expecting it will.