Thread regarding Nike Inc. layoffs

Truth!

@1igf here. I’m waiting until September for two reasons. First I have a bunch of fun summer plans lined up and when I do start a new job I want to be able to go all in. That puts me past Labor Day.

Second I’m being highly selective with new potential employers. I have an in-demand skill set and at this moment in time can afford to be choosy. I want to pick just the right organization that aligns with my values and career goals. If anything right now my biggest problem is that I’ve seen several enticing jobs and I’m afraid I’ll get hired very quickly if I start applying to everything that looks promising. It’s a good problem to have.

@1igf you literally wrote that post for me. I too have been at Nike for a long time and are taking the summer to spend time with family and prep to job search in the fall. Will miss the great people I work with, but not the new work environment.

@1igf - you hit the nail right on the head. Agree 100%! Just curious why you are waiting until September and not now to leave? For me, I resigned 1 June.

OP’s post upsets some people because it’s 100% correct.

I’ve worked very hard at Nike for years. I’m that person who responds to emails 24/7. I’m that person everyone knows is reliable. My work is solid. I’ll jump on work calls when I’m on PTO with my family. My reward? 2% annual raises, no promotion potential, and managers who don’t give a flying phuck about anything other than their own careers.

No more. As of a few months ago I gave up. I check-in at 8:30 and check-out at 5:00. No longer look at or even think of work matters past those hours and never on weekends or PTO. Someone upset they can’t reach me or that I won’t drop everything to tend to their needs? Oh well. They’ll live. I’m also now saying “No” on a frequent basis. Manager asks me to pick up some extra work? “No thanks, I’m good.” And this summer I’m taking plenty of time off while spending a good part of that time finally exploring jobs outside Nike.

I’ve been taken for granted too long. So I’ve just started taking my job less seriously. I’m already happier for it and sincerely don’t care if my reputation takes a hit. Right now I intend to stick around until September after which I’m going elsewhere. The job market is fantastic and plenty of great companies would love to have a reliable worker like me. I’ll be selective and any company that doesn’t value work-life balance or that doesn’t offer a job with growth potential will be a no-go for me.

For the person who said they came to Nike to do something “meaningful” put down your 32 ounce Kool-Aid cup. You work at a company that makes shoes and apparel. If you want “meaningful” work go to a hospital, a non-profit, a government job, or some other organization that actually does meaningful work. Nike is 100% a marketing company; increasingly a marketing company that cleverly and cynically plays on whatever d-mb societal trend is popular amongst the teen to 40 year old crowd in an effort to encourage trendy consumption. You aren’t exactly doing God’s work at Nike.

Working at Nike used to be fun. Now it’s just a job and a paycheck. And endless propaganda that is becoming increasingly inane. Then again I’ve worked at Nike a long time and remember what it used to be like. I almost envy those of you who have been here less than 7 or 8 years who have no idea what a different company it used to be. That old company and its healthier culture is now dead as a doornail having been supplanted by consultants, Silicone Valley sharks, and people who place no value whatsoever on institutional knowledge or loyalty. In today’s Nike you are a number, a cost, and a disposable resource.

I’m over it. Plenty of others feel the same but don’t say so out loud. I fully expect an exodus in the coming months given what I’m seeing and hearing and no amount of slick videos, DE&I pandering or promises to do better will change things.

Great OP! To those who think you get promoted through hard work at a corporation….please understand that is not how it works! Nike is the worst, but it’s similar anywhere. Look at your peers and identify the weasels, that is who will move up.

I think that’s terrible advice for those of us that came here to do something meaningful. Don’t blame the employees that want to impact change. We want something more than just a job. Which unfortunately is all about our leader ship wants.

@OP, you are a misguided person. Now go to bed; it's past your bedtime.

Unfortunately a lot of the people that worked their a**es off just got let go for no reason other than to raise the stock price and to implement CDA (with no real strategy.) Nike can be a great place for some and for others not so much. Just be very cognizant of where your career is going and don't get trapped by the fun stuff and sizzle videos.

If you're not moving up as fast as you thought you would (for whatever reason) make the necessary decisions to make sure your career is on the path it needs to be. Many times, those decisions will lead you outside the berm.