Would I be safer from layoffs as a remote or office-based employee?

I was hired during Covid and I’m technically assigned to an office, but I only go in like twice per year. About half of my team lives in the same area as me, and half scattered around the country. Of the ones in my area, those of us who were hired during and pre-covid are also assigned to the office, but those hired after covid were hired as remote workers. But regardless of who’s classified as remote or in-office, we all work remotely full-time, including my manager in another state. A few people on my team used to be assigned to my office, but requested permission to relocate to other states and work remotely there, and they were allowed to do so.

With this background in mind, I have two questions:

Which half of my team do you think would be safer from layoffs, those of us who are technically assigned to an office but never go in, or those who are classified as remote workers?

Which half do you think is safer from a return to office mandate? I’m wondering if it’s worth asking to switch to become classified as a remote worker to avoid being forced back into the office. It would be really stupid to force half of my team back into the office while letting the other half continue working remotely.

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13 replies (most recent on top)

@k7 And how would they do that and have the logistics for it? There are tens of thousands of people spread across the country in numerous locations

@e8 this makes sense to follow with updated telecommunication policy

No preference on layoffs. Doesn't matter if your in office vs not. As far as going back into the office it depends on how your listed my hr. In office, hybrid, or remote. If you are listed as in office but do not go in you likely will be targeted. The talking points say they are not looking for managers to switch people from hybrid to telecommuting. Fyi

@jm Not yet, but no proof it won't happen later this year.

@e8 Telecommuters aren't getting bumped to hybrid. That's just bullsh-t

if you're technically supposed to go in, in many instances you're going to be MADE to go in. That is gonna be happening very soon.
At some point they may force telecommuters to switch to hybrid unless there's specific justification.
So it might be worth it changing to full telecommuter in the system, just to give you a little more time. If you can.
FWIW i don't think this will shield you from layoffs either way but it might make things easier as the year goes on. Good luck!

It doesn’t matter and they don’t care. Billions in profits is a numbers game. Your boss doesn’t know and neither does their boss. Luckily, you can talk with your feet or enjoy the circus and side shows.

The more face time you get with internal leadership, the more protected you will be. It will not hurt you.

Now, you can only be safe for so long.

I think based on what has been posted and stated nobody is safe on any side of it. Just update the resume and start looking.

@OP Good political buddies can tip the scale. Swiping in will help with networking and a bit of a spreadsheet tiebreaker.

There are no big levers to drive growth other than layoffs. SG28 and lower folks will be replaced with AI and India/Philippines offshoring while those SG29+ will be replaced with a combo of a lower SG hire/demotion, Ireland offshoring, or moving an India person to the USA low on market penetration.

Short term, the safer bet are those in the lower 1-2 of the 5 tiers of market pay and low SG penetration. The hope is RTO will produce a "quiet layoff" of higher market pay tier folks where they refuse to return and/or aggressively job search and quit.

Depending on MN/DC results, the above may help. If leadership is not satisfied and/or the stock doesn't improve, cuts will be more draconian and we may even begin to sell off lower-IOI parts of the business.

I would expect many remote employees to also be RIF'ed as they have in the past, and it doesn't trigger WARN notifications.

@bn So true.

Unfortunately, no one is safe from layoffs.

Throughout the years, I have seen telecommuters, hybrids & 100% in office be RIFed.

At another company, my number came up (RIFed) when I was rated a 5. So, sadly, I believe only those who are pals with “leadership” are safe.

Good luck to you.

Thread regarding UnitedHealth Group Inc. layoffs

Would I be safer from layoffs as a remote or office-based employee?

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