Voluntary would be preferable. I was hoping to be cut in the last round but no luck. I know several people who feel the same way I do. Sadly, this is usually how these things go. People who want out are not affected and those who need their jobs end up cut. A voluntary round would be ideal.
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I am retirement age. I had broadcast to numerous people that I would gleefully take a severance check to start my retirement early. From what I've been told by those left behind I was first on my director's list because it was an easy choice for him. A few others on the list were there because they had been looking for a new position in Oracle so the director figured they would be leaving soon anyway.
In previous layoffs I knew some managers that volunteered to be laid off but their requests were denied. HR was responsible on who was chosen. From what I've been told there was much more input from upper management in the areas being targeted this go-round so maybe your wish might be granted.
A number of years ago, a senior director came to San Francisco for business meetings, and she invited all of her local team members plus those than traveled in for work to have an informal team dinner one evening. During the dinner she asked everyone to voice their concerns and gripes about the team, management, and anything else they wanted to bring up, all in the spirit of "it's ok, we're all family".
Well, guess what? About a month later, over half of the people who attended that dinner were RIF'd by that senior director. So she used the dinner to identify which team members she considered to be "problem employees", and used their truthful and honest comments against them. Absolutely ruthless!
Do not trust any Oracle manager, ever. They're not your friend.
Someone said they corrected their manager constantly in meetings. You can probably get on the list that way.
Like it or not, directors and direct-line managers DO have discretion on who to RIF. They are given a headcount to axe in their organization by the upper management, including a count of those to whack in specific age ranges to avoid having Oracle sued for age discrimination. So a lower level manager can “nominate” a RIF candidate giving some “official” justification, but they could easily base it on just someone they don’t like or feel may be after their own job. This happens all the time at Oracle, which can explain why some high performers get RIFd.
Remember, with a RIF they’re not getting rid of you for cause, which would require a whole lot more to justify an actual firing. With RIFs, simply basing it on “your position is being eliminated” can be legally justified even if it’s used by a jealous manager to dump you to the curb.
As noted, there can be little rhyme or reason as to who gets cut, if we are being honest.
One past layoff, there were a number of excellent long time contributors who happened to have one other thing in common - they were extensive commentators on the internal chat email list, about current events or businesses to use or avoid. Odd to see this common factor in just that one layoff, but the high correlation was obvious. It led to a lot of other people dropping off that list completely.
Better to leave yourself than to be cut. Preserve your pride.
Unlikely. This is the Oracle game. If you have had team members cut in other places and you're in a holding pattern or doing meaningless work, what is really stopping them extending this until you actually leave? The wait for your country to agree RIFs in some places could far longer than you expect. They would rather you make the move than paying you out.
Not oracles game. Rather get you to leave on your own so they don’t have to pay severance, cobra, and unemployment. Make you miserable and like a rotten apple effect others in your group so they will leave as well. Talk to your boss and tell him to put you on the list if you have a good rapport with them. You could also tell Rob or LE to F-off and call him a pu--y. That might get you out quicker.
Here’s to your wish!