Thread regarding Oracle Corp. layoffs

How they Decide Who Goes?

I've been thinking about how the layof pool actually gets selected...my guess is it goes something like this, roughly in this order. Would you agree? Am I off on the sequence or missing a category? Reply with what you've actually seen so we can get closer to understanding the process...

  • HR offenders/issues AKA "problems"
  • Low performers
  • Duplicate/redundant positions
  • Remote employees
  • High-cost employees
  • Teams/functions being consolidated
  • Employees on canceled/deprioritized projects
  • Overlapping management positions
  • Low direct report count management
  • Recent hires in areas that over-hired
  • Random employees to meet the headcount quota

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| 94 views | | 23 replies (last 8 days ago) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1m2jzp61s

23 replies (most recent on top)

It is 100% how much you cost in salary and RSUs

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Post ID: @h5+1m2jzp61s

In my case, I was a low performer relative to the others (we are a lean team after 2 other layoffs and everyone were great and I am just average) and the project I was working on had been deprioritized. Plus there were politics involved.... our team had recently moved into another org and the leader of the org didn't know us and probably favored his own people over us. I believe one of his people are going to end up doing some of my old work.

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Post ID: @gj+1m2jzp61s

Or if the manager doesn’t like the color of your shirt one day. My team was not performance related. Just manager picking favorites

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Post ID: @g8+1m2jzp61s

@c9 I worked in ocis AI group and I got sh-t canned

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Post ID: @fr+1m2jzp61s

Various. Depending on who made decisions. Some decision makers picked high paid people, some picked low performers, some picked aged ones, while some other took advantage of the opportunity to do the workplace politics - you know what I mean.

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Post ID: @fh+1m2jzp61s

They start with how old you are and how expensive you are.

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Post ID: @ff+1m2jzp61s

My suspicion is that they try to reduce the number of OT-eligible employees. They have been trying to convert us to “salaried” (aka non-OT eligible) since forever, and there are constant roadblocks. Now, with the layoffs, they have a way to eliminate the “problem.”

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Post ID: @ex+1m2jzp61s

@dq They have lawyers go over the list. Plus you have to sign on the dotted line to get severance.

As others have mentioned here: good luck finding a lawyer who will do it for contingency, at least in the US.

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Post ID: @ew+1m2jzp61s

Age and compensation are definitely two key factors!

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Post ID: @es+1m2jzp61s

Two points.... Not sure what you mean about HR offenders but making a good faith report gives you protection from retaliation.

And Don't think of it as a few randomly added, it's a HR shuffle to make the entire list defensible from targeting any protected group or otherwise avoid or minimize legal trouble.

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Post ID: @dq+1m2jzp61s

@ab this is SOP at Oracle

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Post ID: @ca+1m2jzp61s

At Oracle, most people don’t have skills in areas like AI, AWS, Azure, or GCP.
If they were laid off, wouldn’t it be difficult to find a new job in the current job market?

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Post ID: @c9+1m2jzp61s

The most important criteria is performance. Try to see it from the viewpoint of a manager. They are asked to reduce headcount by X and they will put the lowest performers in the list. People talk about RSUs, and age, but it's simply performance.

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Post ID: @c8+1m2jzp61s

I was let go in the last round, yet was the top performer on the team. I was one to advocate for doing things smarter and proactively fixing problem areas. I’m sure I was chosen to leave because I didn’t just fall in line. It was always interesting to see how managers didn’t listen to what the technical experts said, much more value was placed on someone in a leadership position to have the right answer. Oracle wants demoralized people who are too scared or incompetent to do anything that will just fall in line and willing to follow an incompetent management team walking off a cliff.

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Post ID: @c1+1m2jzp61s

Anecdotally you do see a lot of well paid older employees. I wonder how perceived ageism resulting in RIF is viewed in EMEA / NAMER / JAPAC

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Post ID: @bf+1m2jzp61s

When I was at Oracle a few years ago. it was almost impossible to fire someone for poor performance. All the levers had to be pulled. So, you want until a round of layoffs. It's easy to lay someone off. By the way, I think this is a major reason for layoffs. not just cost cutting. There were good performers that for laid off, but that was the exception.

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Post ID: @b3+1m2jzp61s

If your mgr gave you any kind of negative review (could be personality clash), you're on that list

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Post ID: @aw+1m2jzp61s

Age is also a factor.

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Post ID: @aq+1m2jzp61s

This one seems to be result of an entire org merge into OCI..then GVP and 7 VPs got RIF. So x% of each hierarchy it looks like..

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Post ID: @aj+1m2jzp61s

I was an HR offender. I complained about my manager who harassed me for 3 years and I couldn't take it anymore. A male employee harassing a female employee - yet HR thought of me as the trouble maker! Go figure!!

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Post ID: @ab+1m2jzp61s

I'm still here!

If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all!

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Post ID: @a9+1m2jzp61s

RSUs

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Post ID: @a4+1m2jzp61s

yeah, this is how i see it to with some minor adjustments. i'd put "disliked employees" together wiht bullet #1

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Post ID: @a3+1m2jzp61s

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