I was offered a promotion but I'd have to move for it. It's not a bad offer, but with all the cuts, I'm a bit hesitant to pack up and move my entire family and then potentially end up jobless. Is this something that actually happens or am I safe at least for a while if I accept?
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Yes! You should absolutely relocate to Oregon and rent my beautiful house which is perfect for a growing family and close to all of the great amenities the Beaverton area provides! I'll even get you a special Nike fam insider discount!
Oh, you're wondering why I'm trying to sell or rent out the house I bought specifically to commute to Nike's WHQ? Well, I was recruited for a job at Nike, and they paid thousands to relocate me to Beaverton, including helping me buy a house. Seemed like a good deal at the time. I relocated from a nicer town where I enjoyed living to take what I thought was a major step up in my career. I was excited and proud to work for Nike, busted my a-s for them, but it meant nothing. After two years they kicked me to the curb in a RIF even though what I was working on was supposedly transformative and important to the company. All lies. Nike will lay anyone off. 29 years at the company? Gone. 6 months at the company. F off. Just had a baby? More time to bond.
I seriously wish Portland antifa would take a short road trip out the 26 and burn my house down like Fox News says happens weekly. Now I'm stuck with a house that I can't even sell short because there are 100+ similar places for sale nearby, formerly inhabited by Intel and Nike people who got laid off.
The economy and housing market in the Portland area are disastrous. I can't get another job locally because there aren't any, except for baristas and bartenders, and those require 10+ years of artisanal tending experience and way more tattoos than I have. Remote work? That died in 2021. As noted in another post, Oregon is absolutely one of the worst states to be unemployed.
@OP You can move to Portland to say that you worked HQ. To pad your resume.
But make sure that you always watch your back to see what angle the sh-t pile will fall so that you can dodge if you can. And sleep with your eyes open too.
If they eventually fire you then don't make a fuss and move on because there were tens of thousands before that went through same. You are not nothing special. And there will be thousands more coming after you.
I worked for the company for 10 years most in Portland, then got a remote approved role only to be told years later I had to move back to Portland. I would have had to sell my house buy another in Portland at a higher interest rate. I loved my job but I had no faith in the company that I wouldn't get laid off during the next round after moving back. Sure enough the next round came and my whole org was let go.. I would have moved back only to be laid off 8 months later
Lucky for me I choose to stay put. Don't move for a job with Nike !!!!
I was in a similar position recently and didn’t do it. Ended up finding another job instead. In retrospect, I’m glad I didn’t uproot my family.
I regret doing this
Nike is constantly cutting and there is no line of sight of when it will stop. Very scary tbh
if it was just you, I'd say sure, but rent only and something on the cheaper side, save...expect the worst.
Family, no way, too risky, ask for remote or at least another city other than Portland. Portland is dead, no commerce here and despite local news saying things are looking better, they are not, they hide crime facts and driving around - it's visibly unacceptable.
I used to think it would improve post pandemic, but the left culture refuses to turn the page towards commerce and tax incentives to bring in business.
it's sad, not sure it will ever return to a place that businesses call home, and because of that will continue to downward spiral and taxes will increase and people will leave. Left with the migration of boomers and older gen x'rs from larger cities that have equity and looking to downsize.
Don’t uproot your family for a company as unstable as Nike, brother.
I wouldn’t recommend, you’ll be stuck here with no family or network and the natives here don’t really seem to have empathy for people they didn’t grow up with.
Sharing my own experience here. I moved from Chicago to Portalnd for Nike in Nov 2022 and then jumped into buying a house thinking my career will be stable! In just a year I was laid off and of course panicked as I had a hefty mortgage. Everyone said I wouldn't be able to find another tech job but I found a remote job. The company is headquartered in California and I am being paid almost 1.5 times my Nike salary. So it is possible to find job, specially a company located in Seattle or California
I’ve seen people relocate and were laid off within the year. No one is safe.
You’ll have to evaluate the risk/reward. Nike is not a stable company and has constant layoffs with a big company-wide one every couple of years.
Best of luck to you.
Assuming your move is to Oregon. Portland Metro has ample jobs available in all fields and various industries. That said its such a small state your personal, college & professional network is how you find the opportunities. Plan that you will be laid off. If you are confident in your ability to hustle & tap your network go for it! If you are an age that you are dependent on the internet to make life happen, it might not be the best place for you.
Are you moving to Oregon?! Or are you moving from Oregon with Nike to one of their other regional offices?
What everyone is saying is valid. There's risks everywhere and people in most every job position and location can't escape any of it. Not just here but in every company.
My take is that we can only hide from the layoff monster for so long. I hate hiding but we have to survive for ourselves and families. If we're at risk anyway, maybe determine what other benefits you'll get besides pay. Will you get skills and position that'll give you more control over your future? Maybe there's opportunity in moving that'll lessen the risks and downsides to taking the new position. Like I said I'm tired of hiding from the layoff monster and will look for opportunities to thrive an strengthen my own position. It's not for everyone, but I think it's about time to take a different path. Risky, but it might be necessary given the times. Fear rots us from within.
I wish you the best of luck.
I think you're asking for something that doesn't exist in America these days (job security). Probably a more realistic question is whether moving to the destination is higher risk than staying where you are. If it's the Portland area then that would be considered risky from a career and income perspective (assuming that's where you would be relocating to). Oregon just ranked as one of the worst states to be unemployed https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/oregon-ranked-one-top-worst-120234400.html.
There are very few "big name" employers in Oregon and the few that are here have been on a layoff spree the last two years. Unless you are moving from a very bad job prospect state I would think long and hard about moving to Oregon. If you would be moving somewhere else (you were vague in your post) you would want to do the same evaluation of whereever you are relocating to.
Nike probably is not going to turn itself around economically anytime soon so unfortunately the threat of layoffs will exist for the foreseeable future with no one being spared the axe. I personally know of people who were given promotions and then laid off at Nike within a year. Getting a promotion means absolutely nothing in terms of job security.
No one is safe - not sure what safe means. Layoffs are eminent pretty much everywhere in this economic sh*t show
Move but do not jump into buying a house
Unless you are moving to work in a DC I would stay where you are.