IT Layoffs - Page 3 - Brown Cafe

virtualpro · 08-06-2009, 07:23 PM

The communication on Global Development on Tuesday was so timely. GD is moving forward as planned for selected applications in specific portfolios. (Still just replacing the consultants?) Some UPSers might be affected and they would be spoken to over the next 2 weeks individually on how their jobs “might” be impacted - change in job or project. It gave an impression we were trying to do right thing for our people and “additional updates will be forthcoming”.
I am hearing the people let go are not related to outsourcing.
So if you get fired with no warning, what happens when they do warn you of an impact?

upscorpis · 08-06-2009, 07:40 PM

If either DB is going to be coding/QAing the ER, I'm selling my stock now! :-)

gimmeabreak · 08-06-2009, 07:48 PM

based on some of the folks I know in Mahwah that were let go, it appears we are not concerned about disaster recovery any longer.

and what kind of severance package is being offered? I heard one week's pay for every year worked, but I'm sure that's just another rumor.

crash41301 · 08-06-2009, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gimmeabreak

based on some of the folks I know in Mahwah that were let go, it appears we are not concerned about disaster recovery any longer.

and what kind of severance package is being offered? I heard one week's pay for every year worked, but I'm sure that's just another rumor.

What group were those people a part of? What portfolio? Were they in the programmer, BA, or "other" career path? Our understanding thus far has been that only programmers are being targeted.

Anyone else heard / know anything?

Any rumors of actual layoffs in IS Louisville, or IS Atlanta?

edit: also - Hi. This is my first post... you can probably guess what got me to finally make a post on here

Hoaxster · 08-07-2009, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crash41301

What group were those people a part of? What portfolio? Were they in the programmer, BA, or "other" career path? Our understanding thus far has been that only programmers are being targeted.

Anyone else heard / know anything?

Any rumors of actual layoffs in IS Louisville, or IS Atlanta?

edit: also - Hi. This is my first post... you can probably guess what got me to finally make a post on here

Welcome to BC Crash.

gimmeabreak · 08-07-2009, 04:08 AM

Welcome Crash41301--!

this is a FACT, the folks I knew were NOT programmers....

...and 'morning HOAX !

gimmeabreak · 08-07-2009, 06:44 PM

Anyone hear any news about what we can expect next week?

TarnishedShield · 08-07-2009, 08:02 PM

i think we all heard the same thing...is-ers will be impacted, they will be spoken to. meanwhile, the impact is much greater than the announcement suggested, people are being restructured out of a job! it is going to be a hard place to work when people just start disappearing without warning or explanation.

sorry, my first post. i don't mean to ramble, but this just makes me sick. could our senior managers have handled this any worse?

btw, crash...the people i know about, as in fact not rumor, were in cra.

gimmeabreak · 08-07-2009, 08:36 PM

I agree, this couldn't have been handled any worse....one minute here, the next minute gone...

people are spending more time speculating who is next, rather than doing any work...

sad time in I.S.

asksalot · 08-07-2009, 09:29 PM

I know, like most, I am concerned about the possibility of a layoff.

Regarding how has been handled....if I don't get laid off, I don't know how I will feel about my job with this company. Yes, I will be grateful if I don't fall under some sort of AXE. However, how secure will I ever feel again with this company that handled this in such a manner? Learning you may or may not have a job due to "globalization" when you were...consistently given hints from the onset, that it wouldn't effect you? Wow, quite a trust damper.

Due to the way they have handled this whole situation, I suspect even those that don't receive a pink slip will be updating their resumes and actively sending them out. I think most employees lost a lot of respect with the company in the way this was handled. The company is biting itself in the butt, because those worth keeping are going to be the most wise and leave especially with frozen salaries. The most talented will be the first to go, because they can find the offers even in this economy. So the company will lose it's greatest IT company assets. Now how wise can this truly be?

I guess only time will tell.

brownhornet07 · 08-08-2009, 03:45 AM

Maybe I'm stating the obvious here..but didn't ANYONE see this coming?

brownhornet07 · 08-08-2009, 03:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TarnishedShield

i think we all heard the same thing...is-ers will be impacted, they will be spoken to. meanwhile, the impact is much greater than the announcement suggested, people are being restructured out of a job! it is going to be a hard place to work when people just start disappearing without warning or explanation.

They started this grand experiment over 2 years ago in the Ramsey building...and since they were under the radar....it made it easier to do this....

If you were impacted...good luck to you....

captjack · 08-08-2009, 04:02 AM

so they bring everyone in IS to conference rooms and talk about Globalization and mention Portfolios like CRA and the app development teams that it will afffect. And then drop the hammer and start firing people. We now have off duty police in the lobby in case their is a problem like what happened in Paramus when someone was met at the door and escorted out, and corporate HR staff flown in to do the firing. People are scared of room 2a-21 the oberkotter room. How sad! That's the slaughter house room.

The ugly rumored number is 480 folks to be let go with a two week sev package and one week for every year. So far as promised only the depts part of the globalization project affected. But it is rumored that they will finish the slaughter of IS next week with Shared Services be part of the reduction next week.

games4granny · 08-08-2009, 05:14 AM

To DFigtree, thanks for the encouraging words of the best thing happening to those who were let go last week. I'm apart of the portfolio that is rumored to be on the chopping block this upcoming week. Another rumor I had heard about the people let go was they were designated as LE's. Even some of the people didn't know they were designated as LE's. I have a feeling by this time next week, I'll be looking for employment. And usually the saying is go with your gut feeling. I wasn't told I was designated as an LE but who knows. I'll let you know how it goes this week.

gimmeabreak · 08-08-2009, 07:38 AM

---and yet you still have folks that are comfortable standing in the atrium watching TV for 5 or 10 minutes. Maybe they are not LE/PIP and do not have to worry?????

Regardless, whose bright idea was it to have folks being let go in 2a-021 and then walked out past the United Way sale where they were solicited to buy a piece of cake? And oh, by the way, can we wash your car too? Was this the brainchild of the Corp HR folks that were imported in from Atlanta?

I actually witnessed someone that was let go a day prior, entering the bldg after hours last night (probably to collect some personal belongings). He was accompanied by that security guy who walks around the garage with a clipboard writing up anyone not following the arrows.

and there's still food and drinks on several terminated people's desks. It's as if they are still there. Very strange!

whiskeyagogo · 08-08-2009, 07:42 AM

I'm heartbroken. I've been MIP for a 15 years and as corny as it sounds, always tried to conduct myself as a business partner. I have always tried to be a good partner and gone to extraordinary lengths for UPS, believing we were all in this together.

I know once this is over, the people who were 'disappeared' won't be the people who needed to go. There will still be totally useless people pulling down units pushing paper with no real skills.

If this was a purge of the LEs, why weren't these people on PIP instead of some 'shadow' butchering?

walker75 · 08-08-2009, 08:10 AM

As mentioned in other posts, the highly skilled people who are not laid off are not going to trust UPS anymore. When I was hired more than 20 years ago in I.S., I was told that "We want this to be the last job you ever have." Well, so much for UPS being loyal to employees. I agree that there is a lot of "dead wood" in I.S. I blame management for not handling this. If one really looks around, a lot of the problems in I.S. are directly related to poor management. Poor performing employees have routinely been given adequate reviews (now QPR....remember CDA and MDPA?) instead of a manager taking the proper, although sometimes difficult, line of addressing an employee's deficiencies...partly because UPS policy requires management to assist an employee improve themselves....at least that is what I learned in SLS. The other problem is that managers need to document performance issues and review them with the employee....something that is rarely done, although the practice has been stepped up over the past year or so. I too heard, from a PL, that the "LEs" will be targeted for lay offs first. Except I don't know if some of the people laid off in CRA this past week were LEs. I guess it depends on what their QPR score was.

What is really discouraging is that some good people have been let go and some really poor performers are remaining. Don't be surprised when the top performers start to leave as they have to pick up the slack, plus carry the dead wood. And that doesn't include what will happen when problems come up from the outsourcing. If a person has skills, they are marketable and jobs are available. Even more jobs are available if one is willing to relocate out of NJ, which might not be a bad move given our high taxes. I'm going to stick it out for as long as I can. I would like to work for UPS until retirement, but I also have to think of my family and do what is best for them.

BrownForHowLong · 08-08-2009, 08:33 AM

I know what PIP is, but what does "LE" refer to?

tomarnez · 08-08-2009, 08:35 AM

I am ISer for little over 11 years in Shared Services. I heard shared services is going to be targetted next week. Initial rumor was that Shared Services wasn't part of this but I knew that wasn't true.

When are they going to let go those consultants/supplemental contractors in shared services? Don't you think that consultants/supp contractors should go first before UPSers?

whiskeyagogo · 08-08-2009, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrownForHowLong

I know what PIP is, but what does "LE" refer to?

LE= Less Than Expectations
ME= Met Expectations
EE = Exceeds Expectations
O = Outstanding

Kind of a simplified overall employee rating.

asksalot · 08-08-2009, 08:39 AM

I would like to point out also that as far as my group was told, the new changes, adjustments, ect which will happen in these current weeks will be how things are up until the end of the year according to the globalization plans. These plans are up to December.

So come January, it seems we are open again for more changes. Not a comfortable setting even if you survive this round.

captjack · 08-08-2009, 08:58 AM

I blame ****. He has ruined IS. Everyone next week will be looking over their shoulder. Just watch people walking into the lobby. People are scared entering the building. This is madness.Good luck to all for round one.

BrownForHowLong · 08-08-2009, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomarnez

When are they going to let go those consultants/supplemental contractors in shared services? Don't you think that consultants/supp contractors should go first before UPSers?

UPSers are far more expensive to maintain than consultants.

tomarnez · 08-08-2009, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrownForHowLong

UPSers are far more expensive to maintain than consultants.

it may be but as far as I know consultants/supplemental staff make far more than I do or even more than my manager does.

gimmeabreak · 08-08-2009, 10:07 AM

Nice turnout today. Lots of concerned partners, or does that term really apply anymore? If you get called into 2a-021 just don't sign anything !!! And HR only has that room for another week so this could be it for awhile.