The HR "leader" quit.
Maybe this forum had something to do with it? Maybe she didn't want to be involved in the mass-layoffs we all know are on the way.
9 replies (most recent on top)
There won't be any hiring for several months now so this is just a moot point.
Let’s hope that the nepotism will now stop with HR Leaders. How about actually Hiring qualified people from Tech vs friends?
Better to find another job and quit rather than get layed off or terminated. Who would just quit without another job lined up? SMH
Workmans comp is for when you get hurt on the job. Unemployment is what the state pays if you are layed off.
Look at the COBRA rates if you don't have other insurance options, its not cheap.
Everyone has a choice...you can be proactive in looking for another job, or take your chance that your severance and unemployment won't run out before you do find another job, if you are layed off.
@hwh+13W3bvnx
Thats a great observation and definitely true. Thats what happens if you have the style that SM has. You can already see outages creeping up again as a result of the "defunding" of tech in Jan. It's going to be painful and fun to watch how they craft around this.
@HowDoTheySleepAtNight
i get it. you were treated like crud.
guess what happens if you get fired ?
same thing...
if you get laid-off you will get a package (of varying size) and you can sucessfully file for workmans comp. If you quit.. you dont qualify for workmans comp. and if you get fired, you wont get a severance (most likely).
so yes . all three things s—, but being laid off is def the better option of the three
@hwh+13W3bvnx If you think it is better to be laid off, you clearly haven’t been impacted by this during your time at S—e. Let me share what it was like from personal experience.
The meeting in which we were informed was deceptively scheduled as another topic, a few days in advance. The VP we reported to came into the room, followed by the HRBP. The VP informed us in 2 sentences that our positions were eliminated and the HRBP would be reviewing the letter Legal prepared. The VP left the room.
The HRBP coldly reviewed the highlights of the letter, got pi**y when questions about the letter were asked and repeatedly said “no questions will be answered today.” The questions (When will my benefits be cancelled? What date is my last official day?) weren’t challenging, disrespectful, or unreasonable when you’ve been blindsided, but the HRBP could not have been more stone cold.
When asked when the VP would be returning to the meeting, the HRBP stated the VP would not be returning and would not be available to answer any questions.
When other questions that weren’t addressed in the letter were asked (Who will I need to transfer my work too? How was this position selected? What positions on the team were impacted?) the HRBP simply repeated the script “no questions will be answered today, you will have the opportunity to ask questions next week and someone will respond to them.” Despite a dozen attempts, the HRBP’s scripted response never changed. Guess what – there was never any chance provided to ask questions the next week and no one ever responded to the questions that had been asked!
We were not allowed to return to our desks. Our backpacks were brought to us in the meeting room. The Sabre-branded backpack was searched before being turned over – it was considered their company property since the company provided it.
Despite repeatedly requesting to retrieve personal items at our desks, we were not allowed to go back to our cubicles or wait while someone else packed our belongings. We were told all items at our desk would be sorted through and boxed up by someone. We were given the option to either schedule a time to come pick our belongings the following week or have them shipped to our home. We were denied the request of having someone pack up our personal things right then, or to come back for them at the end of the day. For some reason, I guess they thought we had company secrets hidden or written on the back of those photos of our kids and dogs that were in our cubicle and couldn’t risk us walking out the door with them before inspecting them first!
The laptops were taken on the spot. When asked if we could retrieve personal files, the mantra was “everything on your laptop is company property, which you were made aware of in the paperwork you signed upon hire.” That included not just work that had been done but also personal pictures, continuing education/professional association files, and contact information (emails, cells etc. kept in Outlook). We were informed that nothing would be provided off of our computer, even if it was requested – so don’t waste their time by asking.
Security was conveniently stationed in multiple places along the path from the meeting room to the parking lot. Even the JLL maintenance guy was sitting outside providing play by play into the radio (“just exited the door, moving toward the garage now”). Without describing any of the team’s physical features, I can assure you no one was a physical threat before leaving the property but we were treated as such.
We were treated like criminals without any rights, though there was not a single reason to justify that treatment. Yes, it’s tough to tell people they have lost their job – I’ve done it multiple times. But it is inhumane and inexcusable to be treated as if we had done anything wrong without cause, and to be spoken to in such a robotic, cold-hearted manner. The VP has never answered any questions or reached out. COWARD.
What has life been like since that horrible experience? I’ve never been unemployed and didn’t consider myself unemployable until I experienced the S—e s**t show. It took almost a year to get another job in DFW. Recruiter after recruiter was familiar with the company’s habit of doing layoffs each year, and I repeatedly had my judgment questioned for why I would have chosen to work for S—e based on its reputation. Even from non-tech recruiters.
Unemployment is only paid for up to 26 weeks in Texas. The max you are eligible for is about $500 a week – so you better have a plan for how you are going to pay your bills if it takes a year to get another job. There is a one week ‘waiting’ period after you file that is unpaid and you can’t claim previous weeks – so apply as soon as you are laid off.
We were blindsided when it happened to us. With the economy shutting down, it shouldn’t be a surprise if it happens to you. My advice is get your resume together and start looking as seriously as you can NOW, no matter how secure you feel in your position and with your manager. Don’t wait and take your chances, unless you can afford to live off of savings for a long time.
I’ve been asked what feedback I gave in the exit interview. There was no exit interview. There was no follow-up from anyone in HR. They don’t care about your opinion or want to hear your truth. I’ve spoken with a number of others who had the same treatment. I would love the opportunity to look SM in the eye and tell him how his “People Team” handled this. Short of that, I hope that someone puts this on his desk.
The problem is, we're running such a skeleton crew, the only people safe to lay off are those working on the future tech transformation. If any more of the core systems people get cut or offshored then say hello to constant P0s every week. It's a choice between two bad options but one causes almost immediate disaster while the other is merely a temporary delay of future innovation. Hopefully we choose wisely.
its better to be laid off than the other two though.
its better to quit than to be fired