Avaya recently advised the action to terminate employees was part of their, "Go-to-Customer function and Avaya’s strategic plan for innovation and growth,” as stated by Alan during the June 2024 “All Employee Meeting.” I assume it was known at that time that a significant force reduction was planned. Why then were employees only given 6-hours’ notice of termination. Who made that decision? Was it someone in the ranks of long-time employees on whose backs the business was built, or and as I suspect, a leadership decision who may only see employees as data points on a spreadsheet.
Clearly Avaya has the advantage against any individual who challenges their actions. They know one would go broke on legal fees trying to win back their job or at least a fair severance package. Still, there is something fundamentally wrong in the termination of a 72-year-old man with 47 years of loyal and faithful service without good reason. We understood when Avaya took away our vacation entitlements and more recently our 401k contributions. The individuals they terminated on July 23, 2024 and the thousands before then, went without bonuses and pay increase cycle after cycle and if nothing else, maintained the very profitable installed base as the company seemed to unravel.
I think it's time to level the playing field. If big corporations continue to bully the individual worker, perhaps its time to unite our collective voices to insist on fair treatment.