How are layoffs determined? I’ve heard people are picked at random or do managers get told who?
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Managers who know you best target you for layoff and promotion.
Here's what happens in our area(IT). About 2 months prior the MD is given a number of people or a dollar amount to cut. In all the time I've been here the dollar amount has only occurred once that I can recall. The MD then asks the Directors to provide a list. There will be some auto names if a person received two partials/bellows in a row (mid-year/end of year). Sometimes, which is rare, there will be a meeting with the the MD and directors to then force rank people on that list. Usually the MD just tells each of the directors to give him the names of the people.
Now what is an open secret is there are backdoor talks between the directors and people in they group to see if anyone wants to 'volunteer'(i.e someone close to retirement). Those people will be first on the list.
Some directors will have a personality issue with someone and put them on the list. Most directors will look at overall force rank, criticality of the work load, SME knowledge, etc.
Those names are all given to the MD. The MD will either take you names, or ask you to substitute someone else.
Then that final list is submitted to HR. They run stats and will come back and ask for more detailed justification if there is some issues with some overweighting of race or age. And in rare cases HR may just tell you to take a specific person off. They will also question why a person who has had one bellow is not on the list.
Sometimes, again it's rare, they will comeback and say that the number was reduced and someone has been taken off. This occurs ~ 2-3 weeks before the date, assuming it doesn't get pushed back.
Selection is normally by highest salary and whether they are disliked by the manager - a sh---y way to build good teams. Once a good company to build a career, BNY has become a sh---y place to work. Any manager wiling to participate in this forced ranking is also sh-t. What goes around, comes around. They will soon find themselves in the same boat as those they selected to lay off. Not sure how they look at themselves in the mirror.
Managers force rank their employees. Everybody on a team knows the pecking order or they’re clueless. A known scrub even knows it. But wait… say that the scrub suddenly gets it and begins to improve greatly. You can often see a former scrub outperform and get a great raise. Better yet is when the manager ranks them next year and then it’s off to the races for your career.
By drawing lots