Thread regarding Medtronic Inc. layoffs

Our leaders on the VP level are the ones to blame. Their goal is to squeeze as much profit as possible. They get a gold parachute while the rest of us suffer.

Are we going to do anything about it?

100% agree… They do not care about any employee under Director level. They micromanage you into not being able to even do your job. The only positive is that if you do just enough not to get fired, you might make the layoff list and at least you will walk away with something. Demoralizing.

I’ve been an employee for over 15 years in neuromodulation. The company has declined dramatically. In the past year I have been retaliated against by new poor managers that came in 2022 that have no management skills because I reported unethical behavior. HR only finally is somewhat a little something after 9 months and being told a complaint was being filed with EEOC. 10 years ago a toxic DM came in and HR interviewed employees and he was fired the next day. They did not tolerate this kind of management. However now they only care about money, however the sales organization can get it. I am a clinical and we have gotten no raises since 2016-2017 despite they have raised prices by 20% since 2020. You might get lucky for a few years with a great management group. I had a great manager for the few years before, but they consistently re-align territories and sales reps are pitted against each other which makes for more toxicity. They do NOT value tenured clinical employees that take care of patients and customers. They definitely no longer value someone being ethical. I would suggest if you do take a job here, do not plan to stay more than 3-4 years especially if you are a clinical specialist. I have been looking for other job opportunities but in my area things do not come up as often, and I’m not in my “prime” any longer on a resume and am trying to get through a couple more years to retirement. I do not want to allow the toxic managers to force me out. Yes other companies have issues as well, some not as much as Medtronic. Unfortunately it’s better to leave a company more often in order to get better pay and advancement than to stay loyal. It’s a disappointing reality.

The original poster on this thread is wrong, 10-15 years at MDT has been a great experience, just look how so much awesome talent in that experience range that got pushed out are landing great jobs elsewhere, you also have long time employees leaving voluntarily for big roles elsewhere. The talent flight of the last couple years under Geoff is hollowing out the company where it matters most.

Medtronic is only useful for getting a name of a recognizable company on your resume. As in politics, highly recognizable names matter to the uninformed, which are most managers.

I have seen people with 10-15 years at Medtronic come to a smaller company where you have to understand a wide variety of functions and project phases. You can't just sit like a cube turtle and only pop your head up to take a break from your inbox and outbox. You have to be proactive, speak up, be open to learn different project phases etc. It's clear to me that far too many long time MDT employees are under prepared or completely incompetent once you get them out of their narrow comfort zone.

I no longer respect seeing 5-10 years on a MDT resume after being there 4 years. I was held back due to DEI bullsh-t, Massive egos, insecure and posessive.co-workers, selfish managers who only care about their group and overly narrow performance metrics.

Just do what they pay you to do 40 hrs/week. Tune out work in evenings and weekends. Remember it’s only a job. Until GM and all unnecessary senior baggage resign, it’s a net neutral situation for most of us.

For me,
Pros:

• Remote work
• WLB is okay, it used to be great
• Chill team
• The company's mission

Cons:

• Boring job
• Unchallenging work
• Lack of career development
• Senior promotions are a challenge
• Pay is below average
• Office politics
• Bad business leaders
• On manager number 5 since starting 3 years ago
• Company performance

MDT is a good company that has made some very bad decisions recently caused and then exacerbated by very poor leadership. It is bloated and has been for quite some time. I was RIF'd in April and while I am unhappy with what went down, it wasn't all bad all the time. I agree with other posters here: every job has warts, no company is perfect, and individuals all need to choose what warts they can live with and what warts they can't. For all of its flaws, MDT benefits are top notch and better than direct competitors (yes, I've worked at a few of them). Also consider that Medtronic is a huge company. Some businesses or functions are more/less dysfunctional than others. If you are considering MDT, I wouldn't discount it outright based on anonymous posts here. Instead be very discerning and ask hard questions during interviews to understand what you would be walking into.

I disagree. Medtronic is still a good place to work. There are not a lot of companies that offer generous paid time leave when you have a child. That perk was created by a group of great people.

It's up to all of us to continue to help each other and hold our leadership accountable.

We know what happened with GE

As Jack Welch once said "I pay you a decent living salary for a decent amount of work" "I owe you nothing more" Enough said on this topic.

I made that MDT mistake, most coworkers were jealous, uncooperative, bitter and operating in constant fear. The directors were not very talented and constantly micromanaging like Ge----o, my boss was a ridiculous narcissist. VP’s were in their own bubble. What a misery, I spent a whole year faking it, slacking off, milking my vacation, my pto, anything that could possible get me a full year on my cv, finally I left after 366 long days.

LOL, you putting me down for sticking up for Medtronic and that I actually love my job here and have for a long time? Self reflection? Really? You almost made me laugh with that stupid comment. I can see why you were let go. I'm sure you were a real joy to work with.

It's been on a down trend for years. I came in a few years before Brian Lache was fired during that whole fiasco where he for all I know was just the fall guy & scapegoat. They definitely try to fool you with the tenants and "family culture" bs and seem to do any and everything to make work life more difficult while NEVER fixing issues employees bring up that they actually find to make the work process better. It's always, we'll "bubble it up" or "we'll put that in the parking lot for now" or "mention that in the team meetings again or the employee work surveys". Many Many more people know that stuff is useless & a waste of time. They just want to do their work because their patients depend on it.

I was fired Feb 2023 here in San Antonio. I'm thankful for the opportunity to work for many years and I'm so glad to be away from the constant daily headache.

@gox+1o7cGH3W, your best pay raises come from changing companies.

@1mgo+1o7cGH3W Glad you’re set for life. Did you get there on annual 2% raises that greatly lag inflation? Did you get there with limited advancement opportunities resulting from constant restructuring and RIFs? Did you get there with a stagnant share price due to inept leadership and limited growth prospects? Would you say that the current state of the company is better or worse than what’s it been on average over your three decades?

Rather than tsk tsk folks who haven’t had the opportunity to benefit from the organization in the ways that you have, maybe undertake a little self-reflection and consider what your life would be like if you got here 3 years ago instead of 30.

I have been working at Medtronic for over 30 years and still love my job! This company helped me raise my family and plan for my retirement. I wouldn't bite the hand that feeds you. I am set for life because of this company. Medtronic will get back on track, we just need the right leadership and employees who doesn't spend all their time complaining and bashing by the way, do you want a little cheese with that wine?

Medtronic is not that bad of a place to work. Its just too bloated with lost direction. I agree that some jobs are a dead end and you wont build any transferrable skills. Either way, no company is perfect and no job is the best. You make your life decisions. When you hit a point where you stop learning, then you need to re consider if this is the place you want to be.

@1kkr+1o7cGH3W You sound like one of the many bitter, overworked, underpaid, and under appreciated employees working at MDT

Hmm. Making career decisions based on an anonymous post about a multi-national company with ~80k+ employees?

Good luck with your career.

It’s pretty sad when the people who have been at the company the longest are telling younger folks not to work there. I applied to a MDT job but based on this website, Glassdoor and everything I’ve heard, this company is too toxic. Thanks OP 🙌

I’m not sure if things are any better elsewhere. My friends at other companies are not all that happy either. Work is trading time for money and all companies have problems. Just make sure the current job, wherever it is, lets you build skills that are in demand. Have a life outside work is also important.

Or better yet, learn how to play the corporate game. Why do you think we have so many inept leaders?

Yes, grow your "carrier" somewhere else. Sounds like top talent there.