How were you notified that you had to lay someone off? Was it an email or call or what? How much guidance or directive do you get on how and when to go about it? Do you have to do it during a certain time of the day? Do they tell you specifically what to say? Is HR on the call, or anyone else with you? I'm wondering how much of a say HR has in the "advising the team member" portion.
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I’m a branch manager. I was told via a manager meeting that there would be layoffs and we would find out who two days prior to their termination date. We took one self-led training course with the do’s and don’t s along with some examples of what the convo sounds like. They have some other document to help with FAQs. I was given my team members notification on the following Tuesday afternoon. The meeting had to be done Thursday along with a meeting with the team on the next day to say that we went through a stage of our “transformation” blah blah blah.
They basically cut a banker who had the least amount of time worked. She missed all but 2-3 months of work that year and missed months the year prior after child birth. I’m pretty sure that her production and time worked had a lot to do with it.
Luckily, another banker got a promotion a few days prior to that meeting and she was saved. She resigned on her own a few months later. It seemed like they had the right idea after all.
Hopefully I never have to deal with that again.
How many days in advance is the manager told before they have to break it to the employee?
it is not done entirely by HR automation. It depends on the type of job and the reason for the position elimination
If you have 10 people doing X job and the go-forward is that only 8 are needed then yes, there is a ranking scorecard that the manager fills out. it isn't driven by what's in CP&D, but if you are low rated then you will score lower on the selection ranking. And it isn't all automatic - the manager inputs the rankings. Once the rankings are input, then yes, the answer of who gets displaced gets sp-t out.
If there's a restructuring and a layer of management is being removed, or a specific type of position is being eliminated.. there's no HR automation. The reasons why the restructure result in a position elimination are reviewed by a bunch of different people to examine whether there's any risk of adverse action for protected classes, etc... basically that it will hold up to a wrongful termination lawsuit.
Sorry, I've done layoffs and I never had to take a class. That's bu-----t.
There are documents that coach you on what you can, can't, or shouldn't say. When it's go time, you're told when you're clear to discuss, and the preference is to have that discussion in the early morning, or as soon as possible thereafter. It is the most important thing on your agenda that day.
The decisioning is ENTIRELY done by HR automation, but there are ways people can and do game the system, usually at review time. An unjustified less than stellar review is usually an indicator that layoffs are coming, and you're being eliminated for strategic reasons. If it's JUSTIFIED - and be honest with yourself - then it's because you suck and you know it.
No company is required to offer a package. The WF package is generous and NOT negotiable. If you accept the package, you forfeit the right to sue for wrongful termination - that is the primary reason for the package. Well, that and retention - I know I came back after my recent layoff because of the stability the generous package offers.
There is no explicit legal requirement to offer ANY severance package like this, so if you fight it, you BETTER have the goods to win. You are unlikely to. You're never going to "negotiate" your way to a better package, and you might lose the one you're offered while also guaranteeing you'll never work for the company again. Bottom line, don't be an as----e, and don't take your chances. It's free money.
I got let go and because of my 14 years in, I got 8 months pay, with benefits and my bonus, and also six months of free placement services with LHH - which I used and was actually EXCELLENT. Me, my wife and my kids - we all had my earnings, our health insurance, etc., and since I found a new gig internally (yes, you can still post internal during the severance period), I now have 15 years tenure.
There are a LOT of things WF does wrong. Layoffs isn't one of them. Pretending you're as important to the company as Charlie is going to get you a REALLY rude awakening. No, I don't like him either, but get over yourself.
Post ID: @mqv+1cS2jDzU
I've seen that movie myself and no, it doesn't end well. Maybe, if you have some special circumstances, you might get thrown a bone to go away but for the most part, sign on the dotted line and get on with your life.
You should write fiction novels
lol the amount of BS replies on here is something
A guy I know tried the “ok I am going to lawyer up approach”. It did not end well for him. Lawyers fees were at 15k by the time he gave up and came to an agreement. The lawyer quickly realized there was no p-t of gold at the end of the rainbow to take a bite out of, and the wells legal team (like any large corporations) is formidable and has time on its side.
Take the package and move on. Trust me.
Thanks for the fairy tale. Very entertaining.
Correct. Everything is negotiable. Case and point, I was in my 17th year with WF. Was able to negotiate a larger severance package based on grandfathered terms of severance regardless if they changed the new guidelines.
24 month package and benefits.
The moment you bring up “legal advice and legal counsel” new paperwork suddenly arrives along with a few calls from HR.
Spent 2 years on severance, traveled the world and took a few part time contract positions. Hilariously I was rehired by WF in a different role/LOB, twice the salary and negotiated my years of service with no gap.
Best 2 year paid vacation.
Call from manager. DY course + a PDF guide. Timing is influenced by a lot of factors, including synchronizing things with other impacted groups etc. It just depends. The day is established in the business case and once it's set with the displacement team, there's no moving it, but the specific time of day just depends on what time it should happen due to work schedules etc. HR is not present, but their guidance is very specific.
2000-3000 k in legal fees ? Is this fantasy land at Disney ?
@ayq+1cS2jDzU great post, funny
This made me laugh pretty hard. Nice work!
Managers are required to take a online class which instructs them what/how to tell employee(s) they are being laid off. HR is not be on the call with the manager when they tell the employee. Often you receive your severance package (in the mail) several days after your manager has verbally notified you.
Managers are required to take a online class which instructs them what/how to tell employee(s) they are being laid off. HR is not be on the call with the manager when they tell the employee. Often you receive your severance package (in the mail) several days after your manager has verbally notified you.
Managers are required to take a online class which instructs them what/how to tell employee(s) they are being laid off. HR is not be on the call with the manager when they tell the employee. Often you receive your severance package (in the mail) several days after your manager has verbally notified you.
So the last time I had to fire someone, I was at Chili's for lunch along with a vendor and had just finished my second margarita. A contact in HR called and told me that if I fired the whitest, fattest man on my team there'd be "something extra" in my end of year bonus. She (preferred pronoun) told me I'd get extra brownie points if the employee had a goatee and wore wraparound sunglasses. It didn't have to be during a certain time of day, and they didn't tell me what to say. Ultimately COVID-19 took this guy out before I had the opportunity to send him packing. The team got together and we sent his widow and 4 children some flowers from Safeway and a 20$ gift certificate to Cracker Barrel.
We all go thru "Layoff training" (its in learning center, and you can take course too).
Generally speaking you are given a script and there are guidelines of what you can and cannot say.
You are offered the booklet with documents to sign (and dont sign until you talk to a lawyer).
There is usually a package offered. Most people sign immediately because they do not understand that this bank is in hot doo doo and its the first offer to make you go away quietly.
If you lawyer up - ya, it costs money, but very worth it - you can turn a 6 months severance package into a 12 months severance package buy having counsel manage communications with the bank for you.
The LAST thing this bank wants right now with all this regulatory scrutiny is press catching wind of a legal case against the bank for some kind of employment law issue.''
You have about 45 days to sign before you lose benefit.
And if you are in a protected class (race, color, religion, s-x (including pregnancy, se-ual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age (40 or older), disability) and given notice of termination, you have even MORE legal rights.
Anyone facing a layoff - hire a lawyer. You might pay $2000 or $3000 in legal costs but you can end up with over $40,000 more in your severance package than what was first offered.
Remember that in life EVERYTHING in business is negotiable. If the bank can afford to pay chainsaw over $20,000,000 per year, they can afford to pay you a better severance package.
Good luck!