During the past week I was asked by management if I wanted to volunteer to be WFRed the last week of March (this is the last round of WFRs that guarantees 11 weeks of severance pay). I took awhile but eventually decided to take the WFR & money while expecting to be cut as part of DXC-which has no guarantee of any severance pay. I am working on a project that has gained favor with upper management, and when they heard I wanted to take the pay, they relayed down the chain that I would have a guaranteed job in the new company, spoke to my role, and asked if I still wanted to take the WFR. I decided that since they are hiring folks in India to assist me with the project but not offering any raises to American employees who are innovating, if I were truly looking out for myself (as they are), I should take the WFR regardless. After I heard this, I thought a bit longer, but I confirmed I still wanted to be WFRed, and I was told that I am on the list to be WFRed. I was content with my decision and started planning my next moves. The next day I hear back that the list is full, there is no way to add me to the list, and that I will be mapped to a position in the new company that won't be cut. I've been sick to my stomach thinking about this ever since, and I believe this occurred because of the favor this project has with upper management. My question is, is there an HR process I can follow up on to report this kind of behavior? It seems to me to be a possible ethics violation, as I know several folks who are on the list and were not told 'the list is full'.
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If you are unhappy with the situation and no longer want to work at HPE, I'd suggest you continue planning your next moves. Take your time and look for your next job. When you find one you like, give them notice you're leaving. Heck, if your skills are in high demand, you might even find a better-paying job and/or one with a signing bonus larger than HPE's severance package. When you find that new opportunity, give HPE 2 weeks notice and leave on a good note.
Don't waste your time/energy fighting a potentially losing battle and burning bridges along the way. Use HPE as a stepping stone to something better.
I had a similar situation a couple of months ago. I was in between projects and told that I could request a WFR, or wait for a project to become available knowing that my skill set is in demand and I rolled off my previous project at a bad time. I stuck it out, I'm on a long-term project, and I'm being actively courted to stay with the company as it transitions to DXC.
If your skills are current, you have a track record of success, and you display initiative, there is probably a future for you at DXC. Be aware of WFRs, but try not to be cynical.
They now know you WANT a WFR, so they will not give it to you. Surely you've been employed by HPE long enough to understand how this works, right?
When your salary gets cut due to job code changes in the switchover to DXC, they will continue to make your life miserable until you quit, at which point your release will cost them nothing. Even better, they'll charge you for vacation time and find other ways to "punish you" for trying to thwart their will.
A WFR costs HPE money. Once that budget is "spent", you are out of luck. Earliest you could try to get in on a WFR is the folllowing quarter if they have any budget for it.
Since you are transitioning out of HPE to DXC, you may be out of luck.
PS, for a very clear example of how HR will nearly-always take the side of management, see https://www.susanjfowler.com/blog/2017/2/19/reflecting-on-one-very-strange-year-at-uber ... HR is the bought-and-paid-for mouthpiece of management. It is somewhat like the politicians being in the pocket of special interests (lobbyists, and crony capitalists, who will NOT compete honestly on the free market; they have to appeal to Big Daddy Government for special favors... Like... Like Meg Whitman!).
"Why would they offer me a spot if there was no room?"
Because they are incompetent! (They're in jobs way above their pay grades; They should be working in some cushy government jobs). Also, maybe they forgot that some of these WFR slots were reserved for "ghost workers" who happen to be the boss's boss's "ghost nephews", and the bean counters were hot on the trail of such things, so these "ghost workers" had to be shoved in there at the last minute, to be WFRed, and to be rid of the problems... Your guesses are probably better than ours, frankly. Good luck!
To the first response, I tried to take the money, at first management said I would be WFRed and was added to the WFR list, but then the next day they said I could not be added to the list because there was no more room. Why would they offer me a spot if there was no room?
Take the money and run. you are valuable at another company and don't need to put up with this BS anymore. You take control of your life and situation. You will feel better for it. Good Luck
My experience in general (other companies, not HPE) has been, HR knows who signs their paycheck, and it is NOT you! Management signs their paycheck. They can ALWAYS be counted on, to take the side of management (unless a manager has been caught red-handed murdering someone, or some such). An employee complaining to HR is 99.999% guaranteed to be a total waste of time and energy.