Thread regarding Wells Fargo & Co. layoffs

They can fire everyone or hope many quit but…what about increased legal and reputation risks?

Seems to be consensus on here that many recent changes are strategically made to reduce headcount and avoid severance.

Any employment lawyers on here know about Constructive Discharge? There appears to be a mass trend here and it is not in favor of the employee.

Unequal rto requirements, changing office to new and sometimes dangerous locations, 401k match payout changes, subjectively rating employees on a scale to reduce salary and bonus, unfair hiring and promotion standards to name a few gathered here.

We were also told in 2022 that we needed to return to office. People who didn't go in to the office at all were nudged to make more of an effort. The focus was on people who didn't make any effort whatsoever.

For our group, the majority are not complying with 3 days in. DF said in his town hall that the expectation is 3 days in, and it will affect performance. They can't start by firing everyone, because there are so many people who don't do the three.

How is 2023 enforcement going to be different than 2022? If 9 out of 10 people go in, then they might decide to fire the 10th person, but if that person is a top performer, they are more likely to start with warnings. If 9 out of 10 people don't go in, then what?

It becomes a trickier slope if they choose to start firing people. Sure they can do that, and call it "voluntary resignation" (a term they used when they first talked about complying with RTO). The problem with firing people is that if there is any sort of hint of discrimination, people might fight it and say they used RTO as an excuse, and then point to all of the other people who don't get fired. If you are in WIM, or CIB, or Corporate Risk, and you are the only single, solitary person that is not complying, then they have a stronger case for firing you. If 5,000 out of 10,000 aren't complying, what then?

More food for thought: Yes an employer can terminate an employee "at will," but those reasons Charlie and crew keep spouting off as to why we are all "better together" don't hold true for people who aren't co-located, or people going in to mostly empty buildings, and it must be role-specific, because tech apparently only needs to "collaborate" periodically, and underwriters don't at all? A court could completely side with Wells, but how many other companies completely voided formal telecommuting agreements, and have sent people to mostly empty offices, or caused hardship due to long commutes, or other factors? Legally they can fire all of us, but is that the logical choice?

I give it one full business day before everyone goes right back home.

Armchair warriors are going to RTO. Job prospects next year will be poor so you can RTO and keep your job or FRTO, get fired, and regret your decision.

@OP But seriously they CAN fire everyone. Just because they do it in a phased approach vs one fail swoop of cuts doesn’t mean they won’t do it at all. Why even bother RTOing in the first place if you’re going to stop if your building is empty? This whole thing reads like you are mad about others not being subject to the same rules you are. Just worry about yourself.

Do not misconstrue my words as fear or bravado. I will not RTO regardless of the negative ramifications. I believe I truthfully know where I stand with my Manager but I fully expect not RTOing to lead to my termination. I’ would expect it to be addressed initially through write ups, PIP perhaps until finally being let go. If enforced WF will surely terminate scores of us but it will be a trickle effect for the most part. I have zero anxiety about being let go or RTO because I mentally and physically prepared myself to not be a slave to any position decades ago.

@hsf+1k9hY21J They don’t have to put you on a PIP. If going in 3 days a week is part of your job requirements, they can simply call it job abandonment and fire you. No PIP, no severance, do not pass go, do not collect $200.

If they have the stones to do it, different question (and probably no), but they would be well within their legal rights.

Efff rto

News flash, it's been tracked for a year now. Enforcing it is another story, but the messaging has picked up. Right now it's still a hey let's start coming in a little more. I have a feeling 2023 will be "or else."

I've been coming in about 2-3 days a week. Or enough to not be at zero and really fall on someone's list. A lot of folks at my level come in though

Probably a few weeks. So, if I am doing my job and completing my deliverables, my employer can fire me because I completed them in one location (my home office) vs another (company office)?

FRTO. Will I jump through some hoops? Maybe, but it'll do a whole lot more harm than good via disgruntlement. The execs and F right off for their stupid policy. All of them need to go get another booster.

I will go in the 3 days but I will leave after 4 hours unless more guidelines are given. I don’t mind going in to work, but don’t like to stay all day. I have yet to have any kind of meaningful conversation at work and usually avoid other people. (Avoiding people isn’t hard to do when there aren’t people around.) I’ve had a few chats with the janitorial staff and the cafeteria people.

Like last time, I will play along for a few weeks, but will leave mid day.
Since I won’t be working near anyone on my team, I’ll do it a month or so max and then revert back to home with this being the issue.
I’m close to my office so it’s not a huge issue for me.

The three letters PIP don't scare me at all. They tell me that I have a year to find a better-paying job.