Thread regarding Charles Schwab Corp. layoffs

Friendly Reminder

If you are being targeted and/or thinking of quitting you have three options. You should consider the first item even if you think things are great.

Document everything with audio recordings, notes in real-time or immediately after, emails and other materials. Move all to devices and locations that you control and assume that you will only have access to some emails and messages via discovery. That will be difficult and time consuming compared to having it in-hand. Do not engage the ombudsman or HR. The ombudsman is fairly impotent and will simply engage HR. HR will only seek to defend the company by dismiss you or getting evidence against yourself. You are not a lawyer. Don't think HR helps you. They work against you.
Number one with written responses to HR for factually erred reviews, warnings or other official communications within one week of your receipt. Take your time responding, but be direct and have someone else read it first. The argument is that, if you're a good employee, you will diminish the company's single-handed efforts to create a negative narrative against you. Their goal is to protect from litigation. Your goal is to make certain they don't control the case. Be honest with yourself, but don't let mind games to make you doubt yourself either. What managers and HR write doesn't have to be true. Your responses, on the record, immediately, and to the company makes them contemporaneous and the company has a chance to respond. This is far better than trying to respond years later. It raises your profile though. You have to decide if you want a bigger target on you.
Engage counsel. They will advise you to follow item one immediately. Each state is different with limitations and sometimes hostile to the employee labor law. Your objective will be to leave with money. You don't want the job, nor will that be an option, if it gets to this point. Resolution will take the form of a demand letter where you hope the company wants to get rid of you quickly. Having solid records and actionable claims helps. For example, if you are told you are doing great and then your review is negative you have reason to explore discrimination or other causes of action. They can fire you in most states for no reason, but when they lie to make a case it isn't for no reason anymore. If it goes to arbitration or litigation, find a firm that works on contingency.
This isn't legal advice. It's guidance that doesn't hurt. If you are pushed out you want them lay you off with severance or have the best case to arbitrate or litigate. You can win and they settle. You should be ready to legal up and don't let them bully you into a lost reputation or rights.

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| 1381 views | | 10 replies (last February 12, 2024) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1qYvdE1B

10 replies (most recent on top)

Y'all noticed with RTO harassment has gone up?

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Post ID: @4qln+1qYvdE1B

Targeted lately as well. Not sure what’s going on. This treatment and stress is beyond anything I’ve experienced in the workplace.

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Post ID: @3zam+1qYvdE1B

Describing my current managers. The bullying and harassment are real. Guess thats cheaper than laying off with severance.

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Post ID: @2xog+1qYvdE1B

Woh you just described my old Schwab manager! The bullying at this company is real.

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Post ID: @2ueu+1qYvdE1B

Now if Schwab really want to build up their business again down the road, they need to rid themselves of these managers/bullies to rebuild trust with employees to build a better culture. Happens with every org after massive layoffs. Basically, these bullies do not realized they are also pawns. Their days are numbered too. And remaining employees will be happy to see them fall flat on their faces later. So these bullies better know what they have coming to them. Karma at work.

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Post ID: @2exv+1qYvdE1B

I honestly don't think they will be as aggressive with layoffs or looking hard to fire anyone for the slightest "mistakes" this month. They won't have enough experienced people to run the business and too many newbies will be risky on operations.

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Post ID: @1uum+1qYvdE1B

It has happened to many colleagues. Some I’ve worked with closely and some only in passing.

The bullying has directly resulted in people leaving, medical issues from stress and damaged reputations. One resulted in a su----e. Efforts to get people out have led to withheld bonuses and pay increases. Withheld work effectively freezing a person in place where they can’t show success or growth resulting in a self-fulfilling feedback loop. Assignments given and then taken back with claims of failure. Pointless busy work. Contradictory feedback where people are told they are doing well and then given horrible reviews as if the negatives were communicated all year and not addressed. Made up reasons they are a bad employee. Factually flawed justifications. And on and on.

These weren’t bad employees. We all know bad ones who are beyond coaching. They don’t deserve bullying either; simply terminate their employment for cause.

No. These were a mix of veterans, rock stars, the consistent and reliable, and those who were at least average for their group. They may have been targeted for age, medical issues, geographic location and/or other factors. Once they leave or are let go they become unnamed excuses for poor performance by their former manager.

I’m leaving next month. It isn’t a new story and some other companies do the same cr-ppy things. But harassment and lying are seen far too often here and it is sc-mmy if not outright criminal.

It’s a little like Walt refusing to go on CNBC to talk about RTO. If you have the data and justification behind you you should be proud to give it a voice. In the same way if an employee is bad then simply fire them. The game of making them so unhappy that they quit as you lie about their performance is just absurd. Any cost savings is a rounding error on the books and the damage to the organization is significant.

Those impacted are often afraid or embarrassed to speak up to others. That enables bullying further.

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Post ID: @1guo+1qYvdE1B

“don't let them bully you into a lost reputation or rights”

Did this happen to you or you know about someone they did this to?

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Post ID: @1uyt+1qYvdE1B

Not op. It’s a comment I made the other day. OP must have felt it was worthy of promotion. I am honored.

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Post ID: @1ouv+1qYvdE1B

interesting, i'm feeling targeted lately... what brings this post? what are you NOT saying? appreciate the post.

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Post ID: @1mnx+1qYvdE1B

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