Thread regarding Wells Fargo & Co. layoffs

Location Strategy is Real

I have been looking internally since one month and was approached by few recruiters but they all said I will not be considered for the role since I am not open to relocating to the “hub”. (I am in a non-hub)

This is essentially closing all the door and forcing me to look outside tue organization.

Really disappointed by the policy especially when all senior leadership is based out of NY. Why don’t they set an example by moving to the hub. What is stopping them from moving?

Cheers folks!

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| 3262 views | | 29 replies (last April 21, 2022) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1gksRTC6

29 replies (most recent on top)

“ And yeah the hub idea has been around for a while, certainly before COVID hit.”

I’ve seen it go full circle. Roughly mid -2000s, there was a push for hubs. People in smaller offices were told they either had to move to a hub or were laid off. Sounds familiar? Then it calmed down slightly, and once we had the merger in 2008-2009, we heard nothing else about hubs and the number of locations really seemed to expand. Now we are back to hubs again.

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Post ID: @2qsk+1gksRTC6

Heard Conduct was allowing non hub to apply for roles within Conduct. Haven’t heard if anyone has been successful obtaining a new role.

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Post ID: @1oqb+1gksRTC6

The random comments on this board are spot on for the most part. Maybe if Wells listened to their employees this board wouldn’t even need to exist.
And yes. That person withdrew from all them because they were offered another job.

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Post ID: @1eob+1gksRTC6

Please tell me you didn't withdraw from some jobs because of the random comments on this board.

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Post ID: @1iyn+1gksRTC6

FYI -- NY/NJ became a hub when various leaders were hired out of there years ago.

And yeah the hub idea has been around for a while, certainly before COVID hit.

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Post ID: @1omm+1gksRTC6

@1wfe+1gksRTC6

In some LOBs maybe, but not all. At least until they can force all the customers into hubs, this isn't universal. My group doesn't even have a hub, and most employees are not in one. Some are, but that's coincidence and started long before hubs were even a thing.

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Post ID: @1bdm+1gksRTC6

"I would move there"

I wouldn't move to CLT or anywhere for this bank, unless I was pretty sure I could easily find another job in the city I just moved to. There's too much chaos at the moment, and freshmen are typically the ones on the chopping block should sh-t hit the fan.

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Post ID: @1pmg+1gksRTC6

The head of Real Estate Valuations is in, of all places, Tampa. That is not even a hub, and certainly not where that group is allowed to hire.

Irony is apparently lost on management.

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Post ID: @1snw+1gksRTC6

I cannot even get an internal recruiter to look at me. I do not fit the profile of diversity and cheap.

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Post ID: @1zdg+1gksRTC6

You HAVE to MOVE to a hub IF you want to stay with Wells. But if you are not already in a hub and apply to a position in one it is highly unlikely you will get promoted anyway because you are not already in that hub. End of story.

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Post ID: @1wfe+1gksRTC6

That's their plan. They told us that. They said that they didn't want a population of employees outside of the hubs.

They also said that as time passes, that population of employees outside of the hubs will "drain away". Exact quote.

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Post ID: @1hlb+1gksRTC6

Hmmm. So I’m other words, why bother working for any company that limits upward mobility. You just confirmed that Wells Fargo is not only a bad employer, but also highly incompetent.

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Post ID: @1eco+1gksRTC6

This is the second wave strategy to get people to quit and ultimately lay people off. You limit their upward mobility and they will resign and go to another employer. If they quit before lay-off then they save severance/etc. payments.

Then the next wave will be closing offices where there are few staff under the "consolidation" process.

This is nothing new. This is the old playbook.

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Post ID: @1xud+1gksRTC6

I withdrew from some applications yesterday. I will withdraw from a couple more that I have upcoming interviews with today. These are in Charlotte. I don’t have time to waste time trying to build a career with a place like this. Not just this post, but friends I work with are also experiencing this recently even when they are willing to move. I’m so very disappointed right now. Building a career is important to me but it needs to be important to work for a company who promotes it too. Time to move on SMH

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Post ID: @1mmr+1gksRTC6

Wow. So I better withdraw from the positions in Charlotte I applied for then and cancel the final hiring manager interviews I have coming up. I mean no point in wasting my time. I would move there, but if that’s how Wells Fargo is, then I’ll just move on and build my career elsewhere.

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Post ID: @1wvf+1gksRTC6

If you’re not already located in a hub they won’t promote you. Even if you are willing to move to a hub. They still have to interview qualified candidates but the hiring managers will pick someone already in that location over you.
I’ve had so many interviews. I tell them I will move there. Doesn’t matter. I am now applying out to other jobs. The other posts are right, best thing to do is find another job because we can’t build careers here. They won’t let you.

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Post ID: @1vvv+1gksRTC6

LOL! Silly Wells Fargo, after the hub/non-hub fiasco, it will be you are too
expensive and we outsourcing your job to India.

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Post ID: @1aje+1gksRTC6

FNYC, and one size fits none policies.

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Post ID: @1mrx+1gksRTC6

Jobs are posted to specific locations. Those locations are generally the hubs for the business/group in question. If you aren’t in one of the locations aligned with the posting, or willing to move to one, you are not actually applying for that job, you want them to change that job to accommodate you. They literally cannot hire someone to a job in a location that is not posted with the job, they would have to repost the job with your location, and allow others from your location to apply.

Is it fair that certain groups/jobs only post jobs in some locations? No. But should I expect a smaller company that doesn’t have office space in my city to hire me to work here just because I’m the most qualified candidate? Also no. It’s virtually the same ask, get over yourselves, apply to jobs that you actually want (and are based out of cities you want to live in). Or go to a new company, or a remote company.

I know it’s hard to understand but the company only revolves around a very small number of executives zip codes, the rest of us need to do what is best for our wallets, and not expect an exception for every rule they create, even if the rules are stupid.

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Post ID: @1mjh+1gksRTC6

This has literally been the case for years after the location strategy was first introduced. If you are not in a hub and/or had a telecommuting agreement in place (back in the days when that was actually an honored agreement for some), you were passed over for promotions, postings, any kind of advancement whatsoever. This was raised very publicly in multiple forums and leaders could only trip over their tongues trying to make up some excuse to move on to the next topic. However, in the background, you had better believe that HR and Recruiting were told the rules of the road included no telecommuters and no one outside a hub. They are still told this today. Best to look outside of Wells if you are ready to make a move or progress in your career at all.

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Post ID: @1ssj+1gksRTC6

Not sure about other LOB, but Corp Risk is strictly going with the locations that are put on the job posting. A recruiter also confirmed that the 'hub' location preference over non-hub.

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Post ID: @1ggr+1gksRTC6

@1nsu+1gksRTC6

Of course it is 🤣 think of who made it a hub. Doesn’t make any other part of the whole strategy make sense.

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Post ID: @1fmb+1gksRTC6

NY is a hub city for a lot of LOBs

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Post ID: @1nsu+1gksRTC6

What really gets me is the constant emails about the option positions in my line of business, and they have even doubled the referral bonus! That just shows me they are really struggling to fill positions. And the sad part is I applied for two and was told unless I’m willing to move to a hub, they won’t even give me the time of day.

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Post ID: @1six+1gksRTC6

Why is the CEO not working out of headquarters in San Francisco? It's so d-mb and sets a bad example. I assume no one really wanted the job after so many scandals. A smart strategy is to hire the best people from any location. If you want a new job, go somewhere else. This is not a company for progression. This is a company where you stay for a little bit to get something you need on your resume or ride out to retirement if you're close. It is not a place for growth. It's career purgatory, nothing more.

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Post ID: @wwk+1gksRTC6

@pvq+1gksRTC6 Current exec management made NYC a hub once they were already there. NYC and surrounds were very much an outlier before the JPM alum showed up.

This was the first do as I say, not as I do policy they put in place. When you can make a hub where you already are what’s not to love about the strategy? /s

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Post ID: @qsj+1gksRTC6

I am in nyc too and raised this issue with my management. I was told you can still apply for roles while being in a non hub location. Not sure how true that is.

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Post ID: @ymg+1gksRTC6

NY is a hub

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Post ID: @pvq+1gksRTC6

Yea. And if you aren’t already in a hub the hiring managers will choose a candidate already located there over you, who would need to relocate, even if you are more qualified. Welcome to Hells Fargo.

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Post ID: @uam+1gksRTC6

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