Thread regarding Williams Cos. layoffs

Plenty of opportunities to share the work at Williams between divisions and operating centers to avoid terminations, not done and not right. Currently, a big rush to fill lots of openings, with newbies due to overload.

I am grateful and appreciate being employed at Williams before being terminated. END!

Comments about "Move On" show a complete ignorance regarding the job market. Do some research into the time it takes to find a job as a function of age.

Where I don't agree is they should of have carried everyone on the team, while times where tough. Let reductions occur through attrition, hiring freezes, retirements and transfers and firing in case of extreme poor performance or other issues. Others may not agree, but if they really believed in the buisness long term and cared about their employees they should of haven absorbed some of the costs during the downturn, making them stronger for the inevitable upturn in buisness. It also would of have shown high integerity the number one core value at Williams.

Did not see that much difference in attitude between those that where terminated and the ones that where retained, just an excuse to kick people when they are down.

Another way of reapplying is like trying out for the same football team again after getting cut. Why not! Those are some of the best stories and people who do not give up and make the team after a cut may turn out to be a star, it can happen. Of course the cards are stacked against you if you are old, but doesn't take much effort to apply and get rejected, odds are very low but you loss nothing by trying you might actually gain respect from somebody who sees the fight in you and the trait of never giving up.

Sure people are angry for getting terminated completely normal! I think you have some issues myself! You like kicking people when they are down, bad character trait.

Nothing wrong with reapplying, layoffs where done for cost reduction. At the time natural gas prices where very low and their projections for future growth where too low. I thought the decision was short sighted and I was correct because prices have rebounded very strongly. Williams is a great company, although there are pockets of some very poor management that led to some poor decisions during the terminations, this is highly normal and to be expected at any large company. Reapplying is a personal decision it has nothing to do with crawling back. As far as being recalled. I feel this should be encouraged, but that isn't going to happen, too difficult to do, it has been too long and they did not have that mindset when the terminations where made. I do feel previous employees should be given preference, but unfortunately hr does not have that mindset, that is a hr problem making not harder to get rehired but not impossible.

I find the last thee remarks beyond immature and very unprofessional. I was also let go an in the over 50 group. You have so much anger and hatred spewing from your posts that it is sickening. Sounds like you had attitude problems and that is why you are no longer there! The bottom line is, if you really want to go crawling back to a company that let you go, you need to reapply on line and you probably will not get called back anyway. MOVE ON all of you! So sad really!

"Wipes". Like it, very descriptive of the brave new world, feel sorry for some of the newer generation they have their problems, it isn't all their fault the pie is shrinking.

Agreed!!! Well said. Those "wipes" can go back to complimenting each other with their own clueless "special" relationship remarks - such as "you really, really like me??".

First of all to the last two f_cksticks who replied to "Small Request". As a former over 55 year old engineer ( with over 20 plus years with Williams spent building the overall infrastructure that Is STULL UTILIZED by you ( because neither one one of you two trolling gutless "wonders" was let go) - you were too young and you didn't make the grade as a " HCE". That's a highly compensated "older" employee - for you two weasel's information. First " Small Request" is not a coward, nor is he/she classless - as you two punks (in all your arregant stupidity referred to him or her) , this person has been let go undually due to "prior" extremely poor businesses decisions from the top - and wants their"reposted" job back. You are both are company "yes" may I have another a-- munchers, whose day will come with Williams - sooner than you think. As a long term former Williams employee (over 50 - and EARNED my chuck of change) that found another job with a viable competitor of Williams, shortly after getting my severance reduction- in older and makes to much money work force widget walking papers, I feel blessed. I also however understand the desperation of several of my former colleagues, who are in an extremely poor and age discrimatory job market - to say the least.

There are lot of good people that where let go, who still haven't found a job or anything as good at Williams and don't post here and would love to get back to work at Williams. You are an example of a classless employee at Williams and doubt you would every do anything to help anybody, you are a coward.

I do laugh at the number of people who post here who hate Williams yet still want to go back to work at Williams. It's been a year since severance. If folks haven't found a new job by now, well looks like Williams made some good decisions.