#culture

What happened to going back to basics? Our cars are filthy, skeleton staff to run locations, declining market share but hey lets explore autonomous vehicles and be known more for selling cars. Almost 2 years into Gilly Wi--y Westy’s tenure and the flywheel continues to turn in the wrong direction. I can’t believe this is what became of my Hertz!

I had worked for Ericsson and Hans was a wrecking ball. Layoffs all over. I moved to AT&T and that wasn’t better. So… I went to VZ. And what the he-l, they hired Hans. Then the cuts started. What I want to know is who is going to be held responsible for VZ loosing the top spot in wireless? So give 20 million for failure? For his departure! BS in my opinion!

Nearly a billion in costs for rebranding has really turned the company around! All my friends neighbors and family love the new color and tell me all the time how they my employer, netflix. Thanks Leslie!

If you are planning on taking Walgreens private, wouldn't you want to pay as little as possible to do so? And, once you own the company, wouldn't you want to "improve" it easily to make as much money as you can when you sell it or have it go public again?

For instance, is it possible that Pessina/Sycamore/etc. intentionally:

1. Created a bad anti-theft policy so Walgreens would incur losses that could easily be made up after changing this policy later.

2. Created bad losses like the doctor office scheme, etc.

3. Paid massive amounts of money out to 'leaders' who were either friends or affiliated with each other.

The reason I thought of this is because of all the new over-stock all the stores are getting. They obviously held back on stocking the stores immediately before the sale and then after the sale, went back to making sure stores are fully stocked. That is at least somewhat of a manipulation. What else did they do.

Most Spring employees between the age of 40 and 55 are dead weights and holding onto a capsizing vessel for their dear life as they know that they cannot find any other job and ExxonMobil is the only place where their BS existence gets tolerated.

If the company fires each and everyone of them, it will not make any difference. Most have been rotten by the poor core culture by working under toxic reward conditions once they have worked more than 5-10 years. It is a point of no recovery.

Those who worry about BTC, let's be clear.... BTC only recruits the worst and from the bottom of the Indian talent pool. Do not expect virtue from that place. Only expect grinning yes men and women who will do anything to get your or anyones money in their pocket.

Principles do not matter to both these classes. Virtue is an unknown word and greed is the only motivation.

What a “B” rated speech by the new CEO. States so many issues with where Verizon is now as if he wasn’t part of the, DAN YOU WERE ON THE BOARD.

It is astonishing how far Chevron has fallen under MW. The culture is absolutely toxic. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing what ive done to so many people, but then again I still have a soul. LC is almost worse than MW as he not only doesn't care but is completely ignorant. This company is headed for disaster. What others are saying about taking an MW is the new word, sadly this company is not going to be Wirth an MW in the near future...

Well. That’s it. Ford guy from way back. Sick of BS here. People su-k. Product su-ks. Done. Used to dream about ford. Fairlane, mustang, galaxy, comet….. so many name brands. Destroyed. Can’t take it. Ford blue. No more. Sorry !

Unbelievable - JW has become a laughing stock .... tone deaf and unrelatable to 99% of IOL staff across the board. Did y'all see his interview emailed - felt like a replay of his announcement on 30th Sep (exact same words too) - must be practicing them every night in sleep too! What a joker - worst CEO ever awardee! No leadership skills. He looks weak and incapable of ushering IOL to rebuild from here.

Not a single person I know in company is willing to trust this JW joker. Forget the transformation - people mostly in all stages of career - near retirement/Mid-career/Early career - everyone is looking to bail out of this sinking ship over next 2 years. Purely based on the lack of trust of the CEO. I wish HR understands this soon enough.

Not that anyone is asking, but perhaps here is an advise - EM could fire this joker CEO because of all the ill will he has earned in such a short time & replace him with a more trustable person to take the company forward into transition - someone who is actually capable of doing the job and not just a bootlicker.

BILL ROGERS

Something to sound like an AI start up? OpenText as a brand sounds old and not sure how many companies associate us with successful AI.

L3s and the rest of the C level just need to stop with the BS. Just say you are coming in the office, that's it, if you want to get a paycheck get your A$$ in the office. This fake caring how we feel or how we work is more annoying than anything. We already know Hadji is in the office for like 3 hours then he heads home. Who really wants to work with there team in neighbor hoods ugh.

ha can we point out the ghetto neighbor hoods?

Just say it, I'm tired of all the playacting BS C level is doing, grow a pair of ba--s and get your @$$ in the office as well.

Has anyone noticed a pattern of blame-shifting within Qcomm’s culture?

Dan is doing what needs to be done to fix years of bad leadership and turn the company around. He’s the real deal.

YL repeatedly promotes the ‘This is Shell’ moto, yet his messaging focuses almost entirely on LNG, Trading, and short-term shareholder value. If this is truly Shell’s identity now, what does that mean for the rest of the company? What should the logo or tagline really be?

Buy for a dollar, sell for fifty cents, and create a trail of debris with wherever you go. Like sending in Andrew Dice Clay and Maitland Ward to the Baptist church to give sermons and organize the socials. Bernie Madoff will handle the collection plate and funds.

Saying nothing but the truth. We aren’t what we used to be. Hans shipped all of customer service to 3rd world countries. What were we thinking the outcome was going to be ? Cheaper for a better experience? Heck no. You get what you pay for. The good old days with Lowell where our customer service was #1 and respected.

Our network su-ks. What happened to our network ? Can you hear me now? “Call dropped” I miss those day we had full bar is signal anywhere we would go. Now it’s 1 bar everywhere unless you live next to a tower within site distance.

Tough to watch the culture crash like this. It wasn’t great before but the extra stress and unrealistic expectations are causing way more tension than usual.

He-l no! I don’t know where the first post went that was sent on the email but we will not do that until the ethical topics described on that post caused by executives are reported and there are consequences. We damn sure won’t tell that colonel sanders fraud or any of his team or him resources where he operates!

• it’s unacceptable to start a meeting at 10:31 instead of 10:30 but runs over in current meeting
• talks about silos and every single thing in this company is siloed
• culture is at its worst because Sam Hammock- get rid of her
• customer service is bad across all companies- it’s literally the most simple answer- stop putting non English speakers in customer service roles
• about time we do away with not hiring / promoting outside of NJ or TX - but will we hold HR accountable for putting that new policy in place
• I do agreed with what he said about us not winning and doing poorly but in all honestly, it’s leaderships fault for where we are. When will leadership be held accountable?

How!?!

Everyone in your management chain above your 1-up are buddies from a previous financial institution. You would think they might try to hide that fact rather than broadcast it. The who you know, not what you know, is in full swing.

Does anyone feel like they are getting laid off? It's been so weird around here.

How was the party? Did anyone show up? Did LC pat himself on the back for being so great like in the town hall?

After years of foisting your su-kage onto SH&A, you are taking the golden parachute in a testament to the clear lack of leadership ability and lack of qualifications you brought to a once mighty division, leaving the group wallowing in debt to the tune of almost $800,000,000 to Blackstone, no clear goals and a culture of pettiness and obsequiousness.

Thanks for the memories and the sh---y raises.

Why is it so hard to keep us properly informed about what's going on? Why do we have to guess and put together scenarios based on a sentence here and an email there? What does it cost them to be open with us? Even if it's bad news, it's always better to know than just guess.

I got let go last month and it still feels unreal. All the mistakes are made at the top, but it’s us who always get hit. Meanwhile, senior management keeps doing their thing and takes zero responsibility. Hard work counts for nothing until they need someone else to blame.

Wonder if anyone still have faith for ExxonMobil Singapore future. The recent cut was very harsh and again a political game in the company. There are many whole day do nothing didnt get cut but there are ppl work damn hard get cut.. do you still like to work here ? What is the future to work here in dying sunset industry with flooded China and regional advancement and high quality and cheaper products.. sell gas station, shutdown cr--ker, whats next 5yrs, 10yrs? What else will remain running? Comments please...

So no Christmas tree, no Menorah, no Kwanzaa decorations. Just a random reindeer and sticks with lights and poinsettias.
I guess we don’t want to offend anyone.

I guess this turns out to be true !!!! Field service is gonna be all Mastec

Anybody heard anything about Another Rebranding?

As an homage to all FiServants who are sl@ving away this holiday season I wrote y'all a poem:

A FiServant drags through the halls where joy becomes “out of scope,”
Holiday cheer gets audited, repackaged, and shipped out with no hope.
The tree looks like it’s begging for someone to pull the plug, too,
Even the ornaments whisper, “You deserve someplace new.”

Happy Holidays and remember you are more than this job...

Working at Walmart is a better job than working at mondelez

https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/12/04/the-biggest-heist-in-america-is-being-sold-as-a-gift-to-children/

Copy Pasta from a different site:

Former HR here - subtle signs your company is preparing for layoffs

I’ve been through 3 rounds of layoffs (twice in HR, once when I was also laid off), and there’s a pattern that emerges before the axe falls. Not trying to create paranoia, but if you’re seeing multiple signs on this list, it might be time to update your resume.

This got long, so I’ve broken it down by timeline and severity. Hopefully this helps someone see what’s coming and prepare accordingly.

EARLY WARNING SIGNS (3-6 months out)

Financial and strategic shifts:

Hiring freeze gets announced, especially if it’s sudden or poorly explained. When companies say “we’re being strategic about growth” out of nowhere, that’s HR-speak for “we’re about to cut costs aggressively.” Pay attention to whether it’s a soft freeze (critical roles only) or hard freeze (literally nobody).

Executives start talking about “efficiency,” “operational excellence,” “doing more with less,” or “rightsizing” in all-hands meetings. Once leadership starts using these phrases repeatedly, start paying attention. They’re preparing employees psychologically for cuts.

The company misses earnings or revenue targets multiple quarters in a row, or leadership keeps revising guidance downward. Public companies especially - check their investor relations page and quarterly calls.

Consultants show up. Specifically McKcKinsey, Bain, Deloitte, or similar firms. They’re not there to make things better for employees - they’re there to identify “redundancies” and provide cover for cuts leadership already wants to make. If you see consultants doing org chart analysis or “efficiency studies,” that’s a massive red flag.

Leadership changes at the top. New CEO, CFO, or COO often means new priorities. New executives frequently want to “make their mark” within the first 100 days, and layoffs are a quick way to cut costs and restructure.

Budget and resource signals:

Training and development budgets disappear. Conference approvals get denied, software licenses don’t get renewed, that certification you wanted gets tabled indefinitely. When companies stop investing in employee development, they’re not planning long-term with current staff.

Discretionary spending freezes. Team outings canceled, holiday parties scaled back or eliminated, small perks disappear. These are the easiest costs to cut first.

Delayed or frozen merit increases and bonuses. If annual raises get “postponed” or bonuses are cut despite decent performance, the company is hoarding cash for something.

Open headcount gets quietly closed. You might not notice a hiring freeze officially, but those three open roles on your team just stop being discussed.

Cultural and messaging changes:

The “we’re a family” messaging intensifies. Ironically, when companies start really pushing the culture stuff hard, it’s often because morale is tanking and they know what’s coming. Authentic culture doesn’t need constant reinforcement.

Town halls become more frequent but less substantive. Leadership is trying to control the narrative and keep people calm, but they’re not actually saying anything meaningful.

Internal communications shift tone. Messages become more formal, more carefully worded, more legal-sounding. This usually means lawyers are reviewing everything.

Real estate and facilities:

Office consolidation starts being discussed. Subleasing space, breaking leases early, or suddenly pushing hybrid/remote work after being office-focused. Real estate is expensive and often the first place companies look to cut.

Facilities staff reductions. If maintenance, security, or reception teams shrink, that’s a leading indicator.

MEDIUM-TERM SIGNS (1-3 months out)

The ones people miss:

Your manager starts acting weird in 1-on-1s. They seem distant, can’t give you clear answers about future projects, or suddenly don’t want to talk about your career development, or they cancel 1-on1s. They often know 4-6 weeks before you do and are terrible at hiding it. Watch for:

Avoiding eye contact

Being vague about Q2/Q3 planning

Not fighting for resources they normally would

Seeming stressed or checked out

Cross-functional projects get canceled or put on hold indefinitely. If that big initiative involving multiple teams suddenly loses steam, it’s often because leadership knows the teams won’t exist soon.

Reorganizations that don’t make sense. When they shuffle reporting structures or combine teams in weird ways, they’re often preparing for consolidation. The reorg is the setup; the layoff is the follow-through.

Senior people start leaving and aren’t replaced. When your VP quietly exits and the role just disappears or gets absorbed, that’s a restructure preview. Execs often see the writing on the wall before layoffs and jump ship.

The “high performer” narrative shifts. Suddenly everyone’s being evaluated more critically, PIPs increase, and the bar for “meeting expectations” gets higher. They’re building paper trails.

HR and administrative signals:

HR schedules random meetings with employees to “check in.” This can be them gauging morale, but it can also be them identifying who might be problems during layoffs (ie, who might sue or cause issues).

Increased focus on documentation. HR suddenly cares a lot about having everything in writing, attendance records are scrutinized, minor policy violations are documented. They’re building files.

Anonymous surveys about “organizational effectiveness” or “role clarity.” They’re identifying redundancies and overlapping responsibilities.

Operational changes:

Vendors get cut or renegotiated aggressively. If the company is trying to save money everywhere, labor costs are next.

Projects shift from innovation to maintenance. All the exciting new work stops, and teams are just keeping lights on. This suggests they don’t believe in long-term investment right now.

Contractors and temps disappear first. This is always the canary in the coal mine. If contractors are let go en masse, full-time employees are usually 4-8 weeks behind.

Financial desperation moves:

The company takes on debt or seeks additional funding under unfavorable terms. This suggests cash flow problems.

Asset sales. Selling off business units, real estate, IP, or other assets to raise cash.

Delayed payments to vendors. If your company is stretching payables or late on bills, they’re struggling with cash.

IMMEDIATE RED FLAGS (2-4 weeks out)

The “oh sh-t” tier:

You or your team suddenly gets asked to document all your processes in detail, create runbooks, or do knowledge transfers “for continuity.” They’re preparing for people to be gone and don’t want institutional knowledge walking out the door.

Managers have mysterious meetings that aren’t on the calendar, or meetings that say “leadership sync” with no agenda. Often they’re being told how to “rank” their teams (stack ranking) or getting trained on how to deliver termination news.

HR blocks calendar time that’s marked private across the entire organization on the same day. That’s layoff day. Usually a Wednesday or Thursday.

Managers seem panicked or are suddenly unavailable. They’re either in planning meetings or mentally preparing for what they have to do.

IT or Security starts asking random questions about access, or you notice permissions audits. They’re preparing to revoke access quickly.

Conference rooms get blocked all day with “private” meetings. Those are the termination meetings.

The parking lot has way more cars than usual early in the morning on a random day. Leadership arrives early to prepare and coordinate.

The final 48 hours:

Executives all happen to be “in the office” on the same day when they’re usually remote or traveling. They want to show their faces and deliver messages in person.

Your manager asks for a “quick sync” with no context, or you get a calendar invite for early morning with just “meeting.” That’s often the termination conversation.

You notice coworkers disappearing into conference rooms and not coming back, or leaving with boxes. If it’s happening, it’s happening to multiple people today.

Email access starts acting weird, VPN connections drop, or badge access to certain areas stops working. IT is already starting to shut you down.

WHAT TO DO - ACTION PLAN

Preparation phase (as soon as you see early signs)

Update LinkedIn immediately. Make sure your profile is complete and compelling. Turn on “open to work” privately so recruiters can see it but your company can’t.

Refresh your resume and tailor it for your target roles. Have multiple versions ready for different job types. Get it reviewed by someone who knows your industry.

Document your accomplishments with metrics. Revenue generated, costs saved, projects delivered, teams built. Save this somewhere personal, not company equipment.

Save important files legally. Performance reviews, reference letters, samples of your work (that aren’t confidential), documentation of your achievements. Email them to your personal account or save to personal cloud storage. Do NOT take confidential company information, client data, or proprietary code.

Screenshot or save your LinkedIn recommendations and endorsements. Sometimes people leave and delete their profiles.

Reconnect with your network NOW while you’re employed. It’s easier to get coffee as a “catch up” than as a desperate job seeker. Reach out to old colleagues, mentors, recruiters you’ve worked with.

Financial preparation:

Build emergency fund if possible. Even an extra month of expenses helps.

Understand your benefits. Know your PTO balance, how severance works at your company (if there’s a standard package), what COBRA costs, when your stock vests, and what happens to your 401k.

Reduce expenses where you can. Not to panic level, but maybe hold off on big purchases.

Check if you have any loans against 401k or obligations tied to employment. Some companies require repayment upon termination.

Legal and administrative:

Keep records of everything. If you suspect you’re being targeted unfairly (discrimination, retaliation), document it meticulously with dates and witnesses.

Check your employment contract for non-compete, non-solicitation, and IP assignment clauses. Know what you signed.

Mental preparation:

This is not about your worth. Layoffs are business decisions, usually driven by executive mistakes or market conditions. Even top performers get cut.

Have a plan for how you’ll spend day one after a layoff. Whether it’s updating your resume, going for a run, or calling a friend, having a plan helps you not spiral.

Tell your partner or trusted person what might be coming. Don’t suffer alone or let it blindside your household.

If/when it happens:

Don’t sign anything immediately. You usually have time to review severance agreements. Consider having an employment lawyer review it, especially if it includes non-compete or release clauses.

Negotiate if possible. Severance, extended healthcare, references, job search support, equity vesting. The worst they can say is no, and many companies have wiggle room.

File for unemployment immediately. Even if you get severance, you might be eligible. Don’t leave money on the table.

Ask for a neutral reference or letter of recommendation before you leave. Much easier to get this on day one than six months later.

Understand what’s happening to your benefits. COBRA deadlines, life insurance conversion options, FSA/HSA balances.

Get contact info for colleagues you want to stay in touch with. Once you lose email access, it’s hard to reconnect.

Job search strategy:

Take a day or two to process emotionally. You don’t have to start applying immediately.

Quality over quantity. Targeted applications with customized materials beat spray-and-pray.

Use your network first. Most jobs are filled through referrals. Let people know you’re looking.

Consider contract or freelance work to bridge gaps. It keeps money coming in and shows you stayed active.

Be honest in interviews about the layoff. “Company went through restructuring” or “position was eliminated due to budget cuts” is fine. Most interviewers get it, especially if layoffs were public.

WHAT NOT TO DO

Don’t panic or make it obvious you’re job hunting. Don’t print your resume on the company printer, don’t take recruiting calls at your desk, don’t update LinkedIn with “OPEN TO WORK” publicly while still employed.

Don’t badmouth the company publicly. Even if you’re furious, keep it professional. The industry is smaller than you think.

Don’t stop doing your job. Keep performing until the end. You want good references and you never know what might change.

Don’t burn bridges with your manager. Even if they’re delivering bad news, they’re probably just doing what they were told. Stay professional.

Don’t take things that aren’t yours. Seriously, don’t steal company property, access data you shouldn’t, or do anything that could give them cause for termination instead of layoff. You want that severance and unemployment eligibility.

AFTERMATH - IF YOU SURVIVE THE CUT

Survivor’s guilt is real. It’s okay to feel relieved and also sad for colleagues who were let go.

Your workload is about to increase dramatically. Set boundaries early and document what’s not getting done. Don’t try to do three people’s jobs.

Start looking anyway. Companies that do one round of layoffs often do more. Plus, the culture and workload might not be sustainable.

Support your laid-off colleagues. Write recommendations, make introductions, be a reference. What goes around comes around.

Honestly, who are these supposed ‘professionals’ working on the SAP projects? It’s the same bunch who managed to turn all ERP projects into a complete shambles, isn’t it? Quite remarkable, really — not a shred of backbone among them. As for qualifications, well… one does wonder how they managed to collect so few over so many years. Integrity? Even rarer.

Yet there they are, parading around as if they understand IT or business processes, despite having no meaningful experience to their names. They’ve simply perfected the art of playing the game, slipping through unnoticed while contributing absolutely nothing.

One can’t help but marvel at how they wake up each day, look in the mirror, and persist with the charade. Surely we don't need a team of 20 locally to forward emails and presentations from consultants?

Oompa Loompa doompadee doo
I've got another puzzle for you
Oompa Loompa doompadee dee
If you are wise you will listen to me
What do you get if your manager lies on EOYs like a rat?
Pampered and spoiled like a Siamese cat?
Blaming the employees is a lie and a shame
You know exactly who's to blame:
The Chairman Robby and the HR Shannie!
Oompa Loompa doompadee dah
If you're not greedy & spoiled then you will go far
You will live in happiness too…
Get out of BNY Like the ….
Oompa Loompa doompitty do

What's your #1 pick... My pick: "We are a family"

https://survey.quantumworkplace.com/bpsurvey/language/oc_UTQB45201/

Survey is open. But be honest.

What is going on at this company that close to 100 people can sit on a call like this morning and think we have the right people in charge??? It’s almost like they didn’t have months to prepare.

Hope actual leadership watch the recordings (or attempt at recordings and wrong screen share). Cut the experiment and let’s get back to work.