Thread regarding Nike Inc. layoffs

Who else just found out they don't have a job in January?

A coworker notified me to some of the posts in some other threads about not being told about losing their jobs in January so I reached out to HR and I'm in the same boat. My work location isn't listed as WHQ in Workday either, but I'm done as of January 8th because my team is based in Beaverton. Look, I know there are people who don't do sh-t at Nike. I've been remote since 2020 (with the company for 7 years) and when I have visited campus in the last year, I'm shocked at how empty it is and how early my coworkers get in and leave. I question what the he-l other people in my org even do. But not everyone who works from home is slacking off. I work a solid 40+ hour work week no questions asked and in the last year as we've lost teammates, my responsibilities and hours have only increased and I've been happy to step up because I have always loved Nike as a company and always felt really taken care of. But I'm fu--ing PI---D I got a two month heads up to find a new job OVER THE HOLIDAYS ??!!?!?! when I'm a good employee with excellent CFEs and milestone bonuses to back it up. Could they have at least waited until January and given us until March? Anyone else in this same boat, who just found out and had no idea this was coming??

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Post ID: @OP+1pbcwvaP

15 replies (most recent on top)

I wish I could just come in for a month or two while finding a new job but I’m now located in SF. Flights + hotel + transportation + food is too much for me to swing weekly, not to mention I have a family I don’t want to be away from 4 days a week, but I appreciate the insight and advice!

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Post ID: @4wvf+1pbcwvaP

I would also recommend coming back in for another month or two while you job hunt. Even if you have to do a weekly term rental to make the commute work.

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Post ID: @4int+1pbcwvaP

OP you might want to put your foot down for the immediate future. If HR and your senior leadership OK’d your remote work and knew you were moving away permanently it doesn’t make sense you’re now in this “you have to come back” crew. Agreed that holidays are a su-ky time to have to find a new job but if you manage to stay on past January 8 you should still take this as a sign to just get out while you can.

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Post ID: @4iym+1pbcwvaP

It's hard to know if 4/1 will be enforced or not. If not, or not consistently, this new rule change will be moot and it will be business as usual. Regardless, Nike has to understand that, irrespective of the whatever the rules are, there are cases, especially in Tech where a great number of co-workers, due to the wonderful world of DWO, are in Poland and India. This means that meetings start at 7am and there is no break often until after 10am PST. These are the only Pacific hours with enough waking hours overlap with these two tech center regions. So, unless Nike wants productivity go down the toilet even more than it already is, then go ahead, push it.

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Post ID: @2phs+1pbcwvaP

@2kyr+1pbcwvaP
OP here again. When the email went out about RTW, I got nervous and reached out to my HRBP to make sure this wouldn’t effect me and the HRBP said that I was expected to return to work in Portland full-time and the previous arrangement between HR/my leadership was no longer going to be recognized (via email) so it’s definitely not speculation.

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Post ID: @2vxr+1pbcwvaP

OP - what do you mean you "reached out" to HR? Did you call the 800 number? I can tell you HR will always communicate official business via email so there is a legal paper trail. Nobody in HR would just casually say that your job is ending. Please be more specific on how you know, or else I'm just seeing this post as pure speculation for now.

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Post ID: @2kyr+1pbcwvaP

@1lvx+1pbcwvaP
OP here - My remote role was not some random agreement between my manager and I. I found out I would need to move away from Portland at the beginning of the pandemic and went to my leadership to give them my resignation and they asked if I wanted to stay on. HR was very much involved, as well as my VP and it was a whole process of figuring out how it would work, if it was okay, proving that keeping me on the team was beneficial, etc. I was under the impression that I was cleared to work remotely for the foreseeable future because it was never "temporary" when talking to HR/senior management and I was very transparent about the fact that my move was going to be permanent. Yes, I was given the option to move back to Portland, but I can't. Again, I'm just shocked to have been given a two months heads up to find a new job over the holidays with NO idea it was coming (because I'm not on campus and my manager genuinely didn't think it would effect me, so never told me of the rumors).

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Post ID: @2sfw+1pbcwvaP

First off, my sympathies if you were caught off-guard by the fact that Nike (like many corporations) decided to revert back to the old ways of working. I don't think it's fair to dig in and criticize you for what might have been a lack of clarity or communication between both yourself and Nike at the time.

Having said that...I wonder if there's a little hyperbole going on here saying people are "losing" their jobs because Nike laid them off in this new RTO policy. I know it's a technicality but most likely what happened here is employees had very informal arrangements that were never really codified at the HR level but they had agreements with their immediate management that it was OK to work in a different state/city other than Oregon (or at least outside the Beaverton/Portland metro area.

The policy change now clarifies that those arrangements were never official and weren't actually approved for the long term. This does not mean the employees are actually out of a job...it means they have 90 days to figure out how to show up to the appropriate Nike office location on a 4-day basis. I realize for many that is a distinction without a difference since it's pretty difficult to sell a house and buy a new one in today's high interest rate world. Neither is it probably realistic to expect someone to self-fund plane tickets and hotels on a weekly basis either -although I do know of a few people who are doing this.

So...yep, it's a cr-p deal but there IS a choice to stay employed...it's just a very very difficult one for most if they have families, own a home and are otherwise pretty inflexible with picking up their lives and moving in 90 days.

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Post ID: @1hqu+1pbcwvaP

You should of made sure you were actually allowed to be remote as long as you wanted before accepting the position or moving away.

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Post ID: @1lvx+1pbcwvaP

OP - let us visit your house so we can criticize your work habits just like you are criticizing your teammates and empty campus.

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Post ID: @yfq+1pbcwvaP

I can’t wait to hear that HR opened the company up to a WARN lawsuit when they accidentally lay off too many people under the guise of “you didn’t return to the office”

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Post ID: @juc+1pbcwvaP

Were you given a choice to move to Portland? Just curious if they just cut it

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Post ID: @big+1pbcwvaP

Just count yourself lucky we don’t have pensions any more. They’d be emptying them if we did.

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Post ID: @jxd+1pbcwvaP

WTF. I’m so sorry. That is disgusting.

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Post ID: @xiy+1pbcwvaP

Sorry to hear OP. As a reminder to everyone else your past performance and CFE ratings have absolutely nothing to do with continued employment at Nike. Anyone who thinks “I’ve contributed so much and I’m really good at my job” needs to understand that has nothing to do with whether or not you’re let go.

I have seen people let go who were the absolute last people anyone thought would be let go. All of us are ultimately numbers on a corporate spreadsheet. That sounds harsh but it isn’t false. Just ask people who gave many good years of their lives to Nike only to be coldly told one day “Thanks for your contributions and good luck on your next endeavor.” It’s at that moment you remember all the Koolaid you drank, and realize it was all just empty calories.

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Post ID: @mdk+1pbcwvaP

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