Thread regarding SAS Institute layoffs

If a VRBP is not offered when the Open Enrollment email comes out next month, then I would advise anyone who is holding out hope for one to abandon that hope. I still have some small hope that it will be offered this one last time.

@4dsi+1upGNaTN We don’t really “need” those things. People on here are more than able to fabricate content.

We need some layoffs and VRBP to get this forum back on track!

Would the person who keeps on going on about The Art Department please give it a rest?

It was mildly funny the first time but has become really, really boring. Come up with something new please.

Who said anything about the Fa-t Department?

Sorry it just slipped out. ;)

I meant Art Department.

Uh oh boomers r big mad now brah!

Boomers be boomin
Layoffs be loomin
That's at SAS
What a kick in the ... ash.

“What is a polaroid land camera?”
Here’s the information. TLDR version: Edwin Land invented the film process that Polaroid used.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Camera

Boomer boomer boomer let's go start a new rumor...

What is a polaroid land camera?

I'm boomin', so the google is beneath me.

Boomin' and loomin' FR FR no cap.

SAS be boomin' That's the for real talk.

No VRBP, just layoffs looming.

“Nope, just a Polaroid Land Camera and a month’s supply of Rice-A-Roni (“The San Francisco Treat”)”

So, roughly the equivalent of 6 months salary? I’ll take it!

“You win”

Wait, does that mean I get my VRBP?

Nope, just a Polaroid Land Camera and a month’s supply of Rice-A-Roni (“The San Francisco Treat”)

this whole discussion is irrelevant. there's no money for buyouts. keep dreaming, it's not going to happen.

"Ancient people holding on for a payout will help drive this ship straight to the bottom of the ocean faster than it would get there on its own."

What will happen to SAS once all the boomers are gone from SAS?
Should boomers leave to make room for younger ones?

"Don't discount issues related to the caste system, either. Those folks still pull that sh-t in the U.S."

I am untouchable!

“people who are sent packing who could potentially have a case for age discrimination or similar. The buyout is the cost of their silence.”

Don't discount issues related to the caste system, either. Those folks still pull that sh-t in the U.S.

We are rich and you are not
Ha ha hahahaha ha ha ha

Oh yeah boomers gonna bo-m, what did anyone expect? LOL! Boomin' right up until the day the doors shut for good. It's the SAS way. Bo-m on!

The Boomers do win, they always win. this ain't news.

There are posts encouraging people to "leave on their own terms". This is some sort of false machismo. False machismo doesn't pay the bills.

Yes, leave on your "own terms". Reconcile in your mind that the company is dying and that you will remain to collect a check until paid to leave. Brain rot, lost development or opportunity, gaslighting, political nonsense -- Name it whatever allows you to reconcile it with yourself. There's no shame in being compensated for that.

Once the end finally comes and you are paid to leave, you can hold your head high, because you played the game by holding out for the option that gave you the largest payout. You reconciled your intent to leave with a payout. When it eventually comes, you will leave "on your own terms".

“You win”

Wait, does that mean I get my VRBP?

Your comment about having created the company and the revenue stream is probably true in R&D.

It is not universally true across the company. It's becoming very obvious that this page is primarily populated by people from R&D, which always has and always will exist separately from the rest of the company.

I give up. Nothing is going to change here. It's too late now. Ancient people holding on for a payout will help drive this ship straight to the bottom of the ocean faster than it would get there on its own.

Continue rearranging the deck chairs to your liking. You win.

@3pvi+1upGNaTN

The record needs to be set straight on a few things:

1. Many of the boomers and “near boomers” you refer to were instrumental in creating the current SAS9 revenue stream that enabled the younger generations to be hired in the first place. We busted a-s, worked well beyond expected SAS hours and put up with considerable political bullsh-t along the way.

2. For the first 30 years of its existence, SAS was notoriously difficult place for most people to get promoted at. Some of us boomers waited a decade or more to get the promotions we saw our younger coworkers getting within 3 to 4 years. This seemed to start around 2006.

3. Not all “older employees” are created equal. Some of us work/worked extremely hard well into our 50s and even 60s— often on weekends, kept our skills up, and were instrumental, in not only innovating, but also doing customer support at the highest levels.

4. Even after being the significant labor force who actually built SAS over the decades, the only real equity we were ever given was/is our career longevity. Salary compression insured that we needed to continue working as our raises did not keep up with the initial hired-on salary of our younger colleagues.

5. Sadly, some lazy and less than competent among the boomer age/peer group took advantage of the SAS norm of not dealing with poor performance (does anyone think this is really unique to boomers?). Others were solid citizens, but did little to raise the bar. However, there was and is a group of long-term SAS boomer employees who are still responsible for keeping the current revenue stream alive and many are still innovating.

6. Probably not true in 2024, but certainly between 2012 and 2022, if you’re truly a very competent-to-stellar Gen-X, millennial, etc. employee at SAS, you should’ve been able to move somewhere else where you could’ve gotten promoted and made more money.

Signed,

Long term boomer SAS employee who contributed faithfully, kept skills up, stayed the course, persevered and got promoted to the highest levels even when it took years-to-decades.

“Please leave”

Nah, I’ll wait for the VRBP/layoff, thanks. I encourage you to do what you can to move it along.

Those of you encouraging senior citizen employees to stay -- shame on you. This attitude is a huge contributor to the decline of the company already. It will be the final in the coffin the longer it goes on.

Anyone who can qualify for medicare or medicaid and/or who has a spouse whose employer can cover your insurance, please for the love of all that's holy leave the company.

Almost no one in GenX could advance for the past 10-20 years because those of you in leadership roles stubbornly stayed. No new leadership rules were created, so there was nowhere to advance to.

Boomers and borderline Boomers were allowed to remain in your roles because most SAS executives care only about themselves and not the people who do the work every day. You've overstayed your welcome now. Please leave. Greed does not become you.

@3has+1upGNaTN

x1000!

You’ve changed my whole perspective. Brain rot tax it is.

@3has+1upGNaTN

Right on!

Had JG _not_ tolerated bad managers (some who remained for decades) along with the diminishment of SAS’ original innovation culture through micromanaging that began around 2000, the company could have prevented most of the “brain rot”. Especially if poor performers have been fired and ongoing reinvesting in relevant education for R&D and other technical professionals been a priority.

These factors are major contributors to the decline of SAS as a company.

Stay and call the money you collect a “brain rot” tax. Feel justified in collecting it. Brain’s depreciate too, and you should be compensated for the depreciation associated with all the nonsense you put up with in that place.

It really was. Despite the bad managers, low pay, nothing material gained beyond the 401k, there were some great times.

“people who are sent packing who could potentially have a case for age discrimination or similar. The buyout is the cost of their silence.”

This happened to my friend. He had a pretty strong legal case, but it would have consumed his life for months or years. So he signed the papers and took the package. Wise decision.

I signed no papers and took no package, but am still sadly bitter about the way he and I and others were treated. I wish that SAS would lay off all the managers who treated people badly, and keep the good ones. The company would be better off.

But SAS rarely punishes incompetence, and often rewards sycophants and political players. So I expect future layoffs to be like the past ones, discarding both good and bad people based on salary.

Layoffs and VRBPs improve sales-per-employee and other metrics. They facilitate a sale or IPO. This is a sad ending but we all need to put it behind us. Sad because, long ago, SAS truly was a great place to work.

Re this post....
"There are posts on here urging old folks to leave and enjoy their (early) retirement."

Agree, I wouldn't retire early. Especially in this economy & knowing what they give you in exchange for retiring. Wait them out.

There are posts on here urging old folks to leave and enjoy their (early) retirement. Don't do it! It's a ploy to cut expenses and headcount at no cost to the company. It's the online version of "the treatment". If you've experienced "the treatment", you know what I'm referring to.

Stay and collect a check for as long as possible. Make them pay you to leave. Not just for yourself, but as a symbolic middle finger from the rest of us.

They don't go to LinkedIn and light up SAS about forcing them to leave; they come here and do it instead.

“ They all but said it in the townhall last week”

So they literally didn’t say that.

“ This is why you never see anyone going on linkedin or anything lighting up SAS for forcing them to leave.”

Oh is that why?

Or perhaps you are making up a reason on peoples behalf and speaking for them….

Perhaps they know that regardless of departure circumstances sh-----g on your ex company on social media is a bad idea…

But only those people know. And since I’m one of those people I’m going with my reason.

“IIRC, the last buyout included a one time cash payment to be used towards healthcare expenses. At one time that payment was much larger, I want to say in the last buyout it was maybe 10 grand? 8?”

It was $18K or $500/month until you hit 65, whichever was larger.

"Based on a pending reorganization in marketing. They all but said it in the townhall last week. Not sure if or how it will affect other parts of the business."

The Art Department is safe.