It's not brought up in meetings. It's all talk of "when we return to the office ". It's as if no one wants to talk about the elephant or the X's on our backs.
I have in my mind that some of us will probably not be coming back.
Why can't we discuss this? If it's brought up, the topic is rushed off to another subject.
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not sure on worrying about something like this; you need to focus on what you can control in the situation not what you cant.
If they keep the bad employees then they will have more work to do getting rid of them later on. That will cost more money to the business. Hope they are making smart decisions for their sake as they cannot afford any more big mistakes
Learned helplessness (psychological and physical phenomenon)
To @1kvf from @qad: regarding person(s) confident they’ll are going to keep my our jobs....denial and delusion.
If you are referring to me: I said “I don’t even think I’ll be laid off for several reasons, could be wrong.”
The reason I think I might not be laid off is because I am 1 of only 2 people at Wells who is involved in a complex investment product and we both are slammed all day. I don’t work in a city where it would be easy to find anyone else with experience regarding this product. Having said that, I ended my sentence with “I could be wrong” because I am not confident that the decision-makers at the bank know or understand the product enough to take that in to consideration.
Mostly, I am responding because I always try to be respectful with my responses to people on the board since we all work for the same company. May not agree with everyone, but I don’t go out of my way to be insulting.
It's interesting that there is an upcoming webinar on resumes, applying for jobs, and interviewing for the remote group coming soon.
Shout out to the person(s) posting that they are confident they will keep their jobs: Y'all must have some kind of serious leverage or dirt to think you are "special" and bulletproof. I admire your denial and delusion in the face of reality.
Some managers have been suggesting having a plan b or c to their employees and have been forwarding postings of available positions. Others are being told to apply for certain positions that are open. Not sure how it works if one is mapped to an unwanted position - no package? Packages cost $$, the bank would prefer to keep that cost down.
Why bring it up in meetings. Unless you’re OC and one level down you don’t have a clue to the firm plan for your area so it’s a bunch of people sitting around whining just like on this site
@qad+16LcemRo @jxj here, I have accepted that I'm worm food when it's over. There's no telling when it will happen since more than likely it's outside of my control.
Just like there's no telling when management will finally decide to lay me off for living in California, not being customer-facing, and working remotely for 7 years. Complaining to management about it isn't going to do anything other than making my immediate manager more uncomfortable.
He's in the same boat. We're both single parents trying to carry families who know it's probably coming, but we can't get answers out of upper management because they're told not to tell anyone in advance. That comes with working for a huge corporation, just like putting your faith into some imaginary friend who never talks back to determine your lifes fate.
I’m pretty sure Wells Fargo wanted the Whistleblowers to stay quiet and not ask any questions too....
@wqq and @jxj: This is @luq responding regarding the topic of bringing layoffs up in meetings. In fact, I would absolutely want to bring it up in meetings with the uplines. I’m not the OP, BTW, but I do obviously agree with him/her.
It’s not that I expect answers, it’s more about not letting Wells Fargo control me and keep me “silent and well-behaved” right up until they start dropping the axe. And it’s not speculation and rumors, it’s in the news, and they’re giving numbers. Potentially 1 out of 4 employees are going to go. In fact, Wells Fargo is talking to everyone about it EXCEPT their employees.
If I were in charge of controlling the troops, I’m pretty sure I would say exactly what you’re saying: “Now don’t go getting yourself all worked up, just accept your fate and make sure you keep on working.” Nothing against you, at all, but It’s designed to benefit the bank, not me. And not you either, actually.
Respectfully, I don’t get the “accepting that we’re going to die” analogy. That’s in Gods hands and I trust him. I do not trust Wells Fargo. And again, neither should any of you.
I suppose I have a little fight left in me. I don’t even think I’ll be laid off for several reasons, could be wrong. But I don’t like what Wells is doing to their employees. And I don’t like how there’re doing it. We are paying the price for the bad decisions of people who make 100 to 500 X more money than us. Employees didn’t do anything wrong. So yes- I think I/we have the right to ask as many questions as we want. And to keep the questions coming. Not talking about it is expressly to keep you quiet and to keep the Stagecoach wheels rolling until they don’t need you any more. I’m not advocating for people to do anything wrong or illegal. I am 100% advocating for employees to stand up for themselves in whatever way energizes or empowers them. Standing up for myself energizes me. Staying down and being controlled is what causes anxiety for me.
Not everyone. We don't know specifics but we know in our team that there will be blood this month and next.
Fixating doesn't help us so we just move on...that's what adults do.
@OP+16LcemRo What do you gain from talking about it other than speculation, rumors, and more anxiety? Acceptance of the fact it's coming and then resolve to soldier on and wait for it to happen, or not, is really all you can do.
Just like accepting the fact that someday you will eventually die.
Talking about it with your coworkers doesn't solve anything other than wasting each other's energy.
But @luq+16LcemRo, what do you want your manager to really say? It’s not really a discussion topic because either the manager has no facts, or they can’t share what they know publicly. Either way tensions get high. I’m all for blowing off steam once in a while, but doing it in every meeting really helps no one.
just get yourself backup option ready; stay strong. This is how financial industry operates.
My vote is to ignore the trolls, political or whatever.
I have a friend who occasionally jokes with his manager when the timing is right: “I’m not on the chopping block am I?” He said he does it when answering a phone call from his manager or accepting a meeting request. His manager laughs and doesn’t comment beyond that. He said it’ s kind of fun to listen to his manager’s reaction and he also wants to keep it from all being swept under the rug.
I think someone should bring it up, cordially, at any meetings attended. It’s not inappropriate to ask, it’s on everyone’s mind. It’s not like it’s not public - it’s in the news. In fact I learn more from the news than I do from Wells. It would certainly be the healthier/more honest approach to things. Do it with an innocent look on your face. “Any updates on layoffs yet? You haven’t heard anything at all? Well what are your thoughts?” Your manager may not or probably does not have all the answers but I definite don’t like the idea of pretending like it’s not happening in order that the factory keeps producing. This isn’t my fault -why should I stay quiet?
My approach is to keep working hard because I’m still being paid and that’s how I roll. But I also have some pride left, so I’m not going to make it so easy for them. If they want me to be silent, I’m going to strategically do the opposite. And maybe have some fun with it.
Someone below here commented that “Keeping everyone focused on work is best for all involved.” Yeah, no. Keeping everyone focused on work is what’s best for WELLS FARGO.
I doubt any managers or EA’s know the breadth of plans unless they’re 2 down from an OC member (maybe 3 in some cases). You could certainly bring up some of our new expectations like candor and transparency but doubt it will go anywhere
I agree with OP: it's an uncomfortable elephant in the room
In the next meeting just ask your manager "Am I one of those returning to the office?" and if the response is "So, how about them Yankees!?". Then you know.
There's no point in dwelling on things you can't control. Even IF managers know who is going to be laid off, they're not going to talk about it much b/c they can't say who is going and who isn't. Keeping people focused on work is best for all involved.
In a group meeting, not everyone is on equal footing. Some people may know things, some people may be on the chopping block, some people may have other plans, and there really is a need to be cautious about who to trust.
I had two 1x1 meetings today with two different people on a new assignment I am leading, so I just met these people. At first, they individually claimed to like each other, but it took less than one week for each person to stab the other in the back and trash talk each other to me. If you aren’t cautious about what you say in every setting, it could come back to haunt you.
To a certain extent it’s because most managers don’t really know anything specific about what’s going to happen, and we want our teams to try to focus on what we can control vs. what we can’t. There’s lots of talk about it in small meetings, but until there’s real info what’s the point of line managers bringing it up and potentially freaking people out more?
You assume that managers/3rd-line execs know what's coming, and who'll be affected. They don't. In the meantime, work has to get done. So what should they be saying?
I completely agree with this poster. I went through denial a few months ago, have oscillated between anger and acceptance and now want the heck out of here because I realize how toxic and unhealthy the environment is for physical and mental health. It is sad so many managers and employees can’t be honest and open about this. We are all adults
Because many are trying to stay sane by living in denial. We're all about to go through all the stages of grief. Let the deniers live in their happy cloud of ignorant bliss. I wish i could.