Thread regarding MetLife Inc. layoffs

I've heard still a freeze in Q2 except for areas where they're hemorrhaging people (I'm looking at you GCSO)

Any update on the MetLife hiring pause that started in February and was supposed to be a minimum of 90 days?

Layoffs are already starting. Got a note today from someone saying their position has been eliminated. They've been with the company 10+ years.

Hiring freeze will be pushed and pushed. Next step is layoffs. Make no mistake, they are coming in other amounts.
The true economic picture is very dismal.

RIS Town Hall. Raising the bar. 0%. F off. How about raising the bar of my salary. DB

What is HR’s problem? They can F off. It isn’t their budget salaries come out of! Do they know base salaries are not market rate?

Nothing matters to any of the SLT. They will do what they want.

A sizeable number of people in HR leadership have disgust for employees that want better wages and better benefits. As if these are things being asked for by ungrateful children. It makes me sick to hear their tone when the topic comes up.

How is HR defining “employee care”?

Can they stop creating marketing terms and just do the freaking obvious right thing for employees. Better base salaries, better benefits at less cost to employees. It’s not that hard. Perhaps they should think about it as a volunteer opportunity for or donation to employees.

This company is not first class. All of the “Best for XYZ” awards are lies. Total complete lies.

I don’t think they are going to start hiring for open positions like earlier. When the work is getting done with same resources why fill in open positions. Saving the $$$ and more work for existing resources as always

With the economy in the toilet and getting worse everydayi would expect the hiring freeze to continue with layoffs in the future

Today the HR town hall was a big to do about improving "employee care". We'll see what that is in practice.

Be careful what you wish for. Often the position as described is not what you will be doing. The terrible manager and dysfunction is not disclosed but quickly becomes glaringly obvious. And no, I am not a bitter person who has been passed over for promotions or raises. This is the truth. Don't say you weren't warned

@bring the down votes

I truly hope you are a good people manager, but truth be told soo many terrible people managers at metlife think incredibly highly of themselves. It's terrible.

Besides the issues with people managers though, this company is dying on the vine. How many more surveys are they going to do where they ignore the feedback? How antiquated are they going let their technology get? Are we doing Agile yet? Nope, that push failed, but hey 11th times a charm, right? Leadership isn't looking to grow the company, they are looking to extract value, line their own pockets, and get out. You probably aren't high enough in the food chain to see it.

Best of luck though, but the only good decision one can make about Metlife is to avoid it or leave it.

To the OP, two points (from a people manager who occasionally browses this site):

First…Hiring is still permitted with ELT approvals… so very few and far between. For all other roles, May 1st is the expected restart date for recruiting, but even, we expect extra levels of approvals and business justification that the role needs to be filled.

Second… Ignore the naysayers here who tell you to ‘run’, or ‘stay away’. These are often the same people who receive no raises/merit increases each year, who complain about a lack of promotions, or who say ‘leaving MetLife was the best thing that ever happened’. Many others have had roles @ Met, voluntarily left, and wish they didn’t.

Yes, there are pockets of horrible managers here who stifle growth of their teams, but I believe the majority of managers come to work to do the right thing and remove obstacles in their teams’ path. These horrible managers - who in turn cultivate teams with negative sentiment - are not representative of the whole.

Only you know how stifling your old company/old role was, and only you can judge if this potential new role is something working taking a chance on.

Good luck!

Run

Hi. When the announcement of the hiring delay was made, it was positioned as a 90 day delay. It wasn’t clear when the clock started though. I think April 15 is probably a realistic date.

Also, you are asking this question on a board specifically to discuss layoffs and that attracts commenters who may be particularly frustrated. Many at MetLife are not. Keep in mind the source of information as you make a decision that’s right for you. Best of luck!

Can someone just please tell me when the hiring freeze ends? I really want this job…

Very toxic work culture. All work overloaded to only few hard working folks at ground level. No appreciation.

Don't apply, run away, fast! Read through these threads and ask yourself if it's worth it. Spoiler Alert: it's not.

External candidate looking for insight. Thanks in advance!

Maybe ask your HR recruiter?