Sad thing is, even knowing this round is over I can't truly relax or be happy I survived, since we all know there'll be more before the end of the year. Working with the constant threat of layoffs is not good for our health, mental or physical. Layoffs always happened, but they were occasional, not like now.
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That $200M in “AI savings” by 2028 isn’t going to layoff itself.
It will be 3rd week of October, well before the holidays, so executives can feel ok about their timing of ruining families, but after there is directional understanding of Q3 earnings. It probably won't be a wide cut, that was this time, but expect whole businesses to be let go in favor of focus based on what MK and HT have been broadcasting.
@ac
The comparative carrot is now a polished tu-d based on everything
I am going to guess September/October 2026. the "Geared for growth strategy" makes me think that October is the exact timeline where management looks at the data, decides which traditional, non-revenue support roles are now "redundant" due to those new AI tools, and executes the cuts to hit the cost-saving targets they promised investors.
To my CDW coworkers affected by this latest round: I sincerely hope you land somewhere with a cohesive strategy, that is better run, and is more rewarding. I am pulling for every one of you.
To those who remain: I will keep serving our customers and putting their interests first. I have honor and a work ethic, things senior leadership has chosen to devalue in so many good people. I never worked under Tom Richards, but by all accounts he was a true leader. I am sorry I missed it.
And to the C-suite and assorted VP stooges: after four rounds of pain, performative hand-wringing, followed by the AI-guided "we had to do this" and "geared to grow" screeds - seemingly authored by someone who consumed one-too-many mimosas at the country club, and vague promises about reinvesting the savings, I no longer believe you and anything you say. You are not leaders of people with vision. You are followers of shortsighted greed seeking comfort in the moment.
I will keep marking you 10s on the PEAKONs. No amount of valid feedback will change your direction. But every moment I might have spent liking your LinkedIn marketing posts promoting CDW's products/services/sponsorships, I will spend networking. Every "lemonade stand" financial lesson and "all-weather team" speech, I will be in touch with my professional contacts. Every learning opportunity, every partner and customer relationship, I am building it solely for me, no longer CDW.
Know this: I will not let my life get worse. You will not frustrate me into quitting. I leave on my own terms for something much better, or you cut me loose and pay for my soft landing where my skills, experience, and ability to adapt mean something. Either way, I am in charge of my own destiny.
A CDW Coworker
I used to work for a company that would announce layoffs a month or two out and then ask for volunteers. So, if someone was already thinking about leaving, now they can elect to take the package. And everyone knew ahead of time what the package was and the date it was going to happen. That felt more respectful than this sudden head cut. At CDW no one knows who got cut.
@a9 - Spot on. Hard to find motivation to lean into the grind when they can toss you out at any moment.
As a (former) sales guy, the commission used to be the carrot. Once they “revised” our comp plans…what’s the point of working twice as hard for half the pay?
Guessing mid August, probably same amount of folks so they dont have to file the illinois employment act. Race to the bottom so that private equity can scoop up the brand and clean house. Big payouts for the upper suites.
"continually evaluating our structure, our costs, our capabilities, and our investments so we can adapt as the industry evolves"
so- not long
I was recently thinking about this. How its been so stressful at work with an added layer of stress of whether we will have jobs or not every few months. Those kind of environments creates on its own low performance and morale due to overall stress. Companies should focus on increasing employee satisfaction to increase performance and culture. I miss the old CDW culture.