Saw the all employees meeting last week, live-streamed courtesy of a friend still "holding on" (her words). Controlled questions "edited to reflect common themes." Orchestrated and rehearsed. Only MP seemed genuine. HK was clearly the smartest person on stage. The rest seemed bored or annoyed that they were summoned from their lofty perches to address us mere mortals. Predictably, it was one non-answer after another. The most difficult questioned asked was about the layoffs. The new VP HR actually tried to justify firing huge numbers of employees while leaving large numbers of positions open. She said something to the effect that Nike needed new talent and it had to come from outside. Remember when you were told that it was not about you, it was about the position? It was about you, dear. For those of you remaining, the clock is ticking. You'll be sitting next to a lot of new people working at a fraction of your pay until the next round of layoffs. Then you will be gone. Just like that. This meeting was designed to end the discussion about the layoffs. What layoffs? There were layoffs? I'll have another pumpkin spiced koolaid thank you. Anyone still there over 40 years old should leave immediately before you are put on the ice flows. Tenure is treated like a tumor. Cut it out and throw it away. Nike has clearly moved on. Time for the rest of us to do the same. Peace to you all.
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I thought Mark seemed 100% genuine.
Didn't the "old" talent get NIKE to $35B? ... what a bunch of a**hats ...
The new HR leader is completely wrong. Nike doesn’t need new talent they need new leaders.
Totally agree that the layoffs were a cultural purge. Dissent is now considered disloyalty. Failure to adhere to the blather regurgitated daily on Zero.Pravda.com is treason. All we seem to care about is how fast we can drop to our knees in protest of whatever offended us today. Mediocrity is awarded like excellence as long as you have can claim some victim status while wearing your thousand dollar team kit. We honor millionaire athletes who scream for social justice while they celebrate a profession whose hallmark for decades has been wife beating, illegal drug use, rape, assault and even murder. Remember when we just made great shoes? Yeah, neither do I.
I can relate to the statement from an HR VP: 'Nike needed new talent and it had to come from outside'. I've said all along this wasn't a layoff but rather a culture purge. I tried for years to 'do the right thing' only to be labeled a trouble maker. Dissent is not allowed. Smile regardless. Yes sir, may I have another?
Tech desperately needed a reorg. It also needed a culture purge. Unfortunately, those who should have been purged are the ones deciding who stays and who goes. Maybe I should have got a neck tattoo or come from a far away land (you can't be a prophet in your own land - duh!).
There was one dev ops director with no advanced education - only a high school diploma and he was a genuine a****le to the core. Another that was promoted to senior director was a report developer about 5 years ago and now leads analytics. Another senior director in architecture can barely look up from his shoes let alone talk to people. One director that was responsible for most of the DB crap Nike lives with at an enterprise level was handed a better position to do more of the same.
Who makes these kinds of decisions? Did someone lose a bet?
I'm firmly convinced that I got my current job after being laid off from Nike because I was very honest in my interview stating I did not like working there. I believe they weren't interested in anyone satisfied with the 'just do me' mindset. I certainly won't hire anyone that tells me it's a great place to work.
The all employee meetings didn't do much to limit fear of near term future layoffs or the undercurrent of disgust that is heard in the hallways. Mostly what we hear is that leaders are panicked and uninformed. That pettiness rules in in the middle management layer. Strategies are not tied together, executed, or even tied together. Product is stale. Those of us that remain are dumbfounded. How will we ever get back on track?
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I agree that MP came off as genuine, but to me he came across as disconnected and seemed unaware we've been damaging our long-term brand to hit a short term goal (as when he stated that's not something we'd ever do!!). I didn't hear him apologize or "own" it either, which was disappointing. The banter and nervous laughter amongst the leadership team, in between their rehearsed and babbled answers, might have served to cut nervous tension, but it came off as disrespectful. Remember, Nike is a Company, they aren't your family.