It would be great if layoffs were really getting rid of underperformers. Nobody would have any issues with that, I assume. But that's not the case. We keep losing good people, hard-working people, those who have invaluable knowledge and experience. And that is wrong on so many levels. Nike is going to lay itself out of business.
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I have become to numb to layoffs, and I dont even feel happy that I have survived. I was telling my spouse, this is just another reminder that we have to get our lifeboat ready to sail away, and that this is toxic.
@ihc oh 100% agree that the vibe of the company here is WAY worse than CDA, but in terms of the people let go, the balance between great people, mediocre people, and bad people is a bit better.
Still many many questionable decisions though, for sure.
Haha you’re going to go from a Nike salary to a non profit salary. Haha! Thats good. Thank you for that.
Yep - ongoing layoffs + stock buybacks/tax shelters to enrich the already-wealthy while they destroy workers' livelihoods has amply demonstrated what's been true all along: the ELT at major corporations do not give a cr-p about workers, yet we're expected to be loyal to them? LOL no.
And just like that, my desire to play these endless hunger games in corporate America faded away. Now focusing my job search on nonprofits & public service jobs - the pay is lower, but job stability, a living wage, & health care matter more to me now than the alternative. My buddy left Nike a couple years ago to work a city job - solid remote job, interesting work, smart yet kind coworkers, health care, pension, no layoffs, giving back to the greater good in his community. Zero time/money commuting as he walks 10 steps to his home office and he sees his kids way more since he's now working standard 8am-4pm hours. He's moved up quickly and loves it there. Hopefully we're all next!
During the last large layoff I saw two different people who were both some of the LAST people I ever thought Nike would get rid of. These people both had solid reputations throughout the company, were known industry-wide for their skills, had tangibly contributed to numerous Nike wins over the years, were well-liked by everyone, and were examples of what it actually means to be a “servant leader”.
And Nike effectively told them both “Thanks for 20 years of rocking this place. You’re the best! Now…get lost.” I was stunned that any company, much less Nike, would reward 20+ years of devoted service from some of its best employees by showing them the exit door. Pathetic. Gross, vile and pathetic.
I wouldn’t tell any of you who survived this layoff to quit. We all need a job and the one you currently have is, for several reasons, often the best option to retain. However I would strongly encourage people to ask themselves if this “new Nike” is where they really want to keep building their careers. For me, as I hit my mid-40’s things like job security, job contentment, and overall organizational mission become more important than in the past. Frankly I’m not sure how much longer I can pretend to care so much about selling shoes and apparel while the company I work at finally loses those unique qualities that used to make it a cool place to work. Right now for me Nike is a paycheck and little more.
I’m glad I survived but for the first time in a long time I’m finally going to seriously examine what other options might exist for me outside the berm. I can’t do the “Will I still have a job two years from now?” thing anymore and I’m not at all convinced Nike is going to fully recover from its current trajectory. I’ve lost complete confidence that the current senior leadership team is going to fix what THEY mostly broke and it’s increasingly depressing to work at a place where it genuinely feels like its better days have now passed. Time to update my resume for the first time in a long time.
CDA was terrible but these last few months seem worse. Some of our best leaders and people who really invested in others and were visionary are gone 😞
If you think this is bad, CDA was like 80% amazing people, 20% bad people.
Due to lack of accountability, people protected based on friendships and past relationships, there will never be the ability to let go of low performers or bad apples period. This is Nike.