Thread regarding Intel Corp. layoffs

@4uxt the short winter days don't help, I don't think I could sleep before dark, I never take a nap.

Yeah @3sbt, but, I'm not going to bed at 7 or 8. lol I'm still going to bed at my normal time which is 11 or 12, sometimes a little later/earlier. True to form I woke up ar 3:30 this morning. This is getting so tiresome (no pun intended. lol) It takes me HOURS to fall back asleep. I don't want to get up in the middle of the night, that's unthinkable to me, so I lay there hoping to quickly fall back asleep.

-ggp/-2bdk

@2bdk my sleep pattern has shifted. I just get up at 3 or 4, go to bed at 7 or 8.

I'm going on year two, still not sleeping right. Really hard to let go. The sh--ton of money I made helps. I did well. Right now I'm in my safe space drinking JD and tending the wood stove like a process tool. It's nice. It gets better. Merry Chistmas!

I left Intel 2 years ago. The decision was the best decision I have ever made. My health in all aspects has improved dramatically.

These stories are just a small part of the severe health problems that Intel employees have. Over 80% are using some sort of anti-depressant drug just to survive day by day.

Intel is toxic on all levels. From chemicals to severely hostile managers. All intel buildings are severely toxic. Just because you are an office worker does not mean you won't be exposed to chemicals. You never know what your building has been used for currently or in the past.

To current employees, QUIT while you have a chance. Your health will go away fast.

Oddly it's been the opposite for me @2wkw. It's been 6 months now and I used to sleep through the night before, yet I no longer do that now. I'll wake up in the middle of the night every single night now and before I open my eyes to check the clock, I try to guess if the hour is going to start with a 3 or a 4. It's ALWAYS a 3 or a 4 and I don't understand why. :(

I'm thrilled to no longer be working, but I wish I could go back to sleeping through the night. :( I keep telling myself... well, at least you're not working so you can always take a nap if needed. lol And I HATE taking naps. I only do it when I'm sick so it' snot like I want an excuse to take a nap. They make me feel like I'm losing part of my life or something. And yes, I've read where 20 minute power naps are actually good for you. I still don't like them. :)

-ggp

My big change was returning to normal/healthy sleep patterns. After all those years of 24/7 on-call, sleepless nights, the inability to sleep past 4:00 a,m, on any day, and averaging about 4 hours of sleep a night, it took about 5 months for me to finally get right. Even the 8 week sabbaticals did not help.

I now average almost 7 hours of sleep, my weight and blood pressure are down and I don't cringe whenever my phone rings after 8:00 p.m.

Management turns a blind eye because management is on a stronger dose of happy pills @1wpm

Regarding happy pills, I was in a rather small department in which Zoloft, prozac, effexor, and lexipro were common meds. In fact 70% of employees in my group were taking some form of Dr prescribed anti-depressant. They do help but are very difficult to withdraw from once committed. These meds are very common in Intel yet NOT recognized as an issue. Mgmt turns a blind eye.

@iaxh - regarding happy pills.

It's rumored, and I believe it to be true, that a large percentage of intel employees take either antidepressants or adderall. I wouldn't be surprised if employees were getting their prescriptions from the on campus clinics.

Also note that I don't think this issue with ducts not being cleaned is an Intel thing. I think it's VERY widespread. Heck, even I haven't cleaned mine out and I've been in this house since 1998. LOL But I also don't have thousands of people living here breathing the air here. I just think it's very widespread. Personally, I just wanted out (partly) so I could breath clean air more and not be stuck inside all day long breathing stale air..

-ggp

I don't think it had/has anything to do with the carpet not being vacuumed. I think it's more in the ductwork than anything.

Here's an OSHA site on it: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/indoorairquality/faqs.html

I know exactly where you sat. I also know that your side of the floor had a LOT of leaks. Remember those plastoc temporary funnels that were taped on the ceiling with the end in a garbage can to collect the water? The majority were at that one stairwell down to the 1st floor.

As I said before, I don't think they ever cleaned out the HVAC system. Like... EVER. (My opinion only). Note what the site above says about mold, dampness, constuction (did retarred the roof recently), not enough fresh air, etc.). I think it was ALL part of the problem. Hence me wanting to get OUT of that building and move on with my life.

-ggp

Thank you all for the comments. I do want to clarify exactly where I was (I had not moved much in the 11 years at Intel.

If you picture in your mind where the kitchen and serving area is for the JF3 Cafeteria. Now, in your mind, drill a hole in the ceiling of the JF3 Cafe serving area, about where the salad bar is. My cubicle is on the 2ND floor right there above the Salad bar in the JF3 Cafe. It is the old cubes. Not the new itty bitty ones. There are no large labs or places where they do the focused ion beam FIB stuff, so I suspect no funny lab chemicals on that floor.

Now, it is the old carpeting. perhaps that might be the issue since I understand that they do not vacuum every day.

I do also need to point out that I never used the soda machines or the sugared drinks. I don't know what you guys mean by the happy pills, but pretty much all I eat were the salid bar, the fresh fruit, and sometimes sandwitches from the deli. That is it!!!

I did eat outside whenever possible.

By the way, the changes started happening within a week after leaving.

Now, mind you, I did ride my bicycle from Hillsboro JF3 to my new home in Bellingham, Washington for the first five days of VSP. Perhaps that had something to do with it, but I still breathed the diesel fumes on SR 30 from Hilsboro to Longview that first day.

JF isn't a chemical plant. Maybe RA is but not JF.

Common theme here is health gets better after leaving Intel. Amazing the number of people who are taking "happy pills" for focus and stress relief at Intel, yet mgmt has NEVER recognized this as an issue. They are more concerned about employees getting carpal tunnel syndrome through keyboard use than severe depression caused by the 24X7 work environment. Many more people hurting mentally yet you'll never hear any lying scumbag manager mention this as a problem in the Intel culture. I stopped taking "Happy Pills" once out of Intel in June and have been totally refreshed mentally. Thank goodness.

Yeah, that too @1kfh. I also wonder about what I've heard as the "Ronler Effect" when it looks like snow in the surrounding neighborhood when it gets freezing. it's not snowing, it's the emissions. They keep saying the air quality is safe but I have my suspicions. I'm just really really glad not to have to spend the majority of my life in the middle of that anymore. :)

-ggp

I've suspected for a long time that something has gone or is going awry with the air quality around JF. I've heard other people speculate that's it's the leaded jet fuel they are using at the airport. Lots of people have skin and breathing issues.

Interesting to hear your eye sight has been improved. I feel exactly the same since ISPed in April.

Love my fries and burgers everyday it is good for my skin!

"rashes gone from my skin, no more jock itch, " I hope your direct rewarded you with a good raise for taking it up the a$$?

Oh, and I've dropped weight as well and people tell me I'm looking great and less stressed when they see me after 6 months. :) It's great to be out of there. :)

-ggp

I too was in JF3 in the non-TW3 area and left June 24th and noticed a change as well. One of the reasons I wanted to retire early (AKA - Get the h3ll out of that building) was because I always questioned the air. I even brought it up to CS on a few occasions asking if they ever checked and cleaned out the ventilation system. The answer of course was they did but I think that was as much of a lie as "we vacuum weekly". Uh huh, sure.

I didn't have any health issues but always feared that something might be brewing inside of me that hadn't reared its ugly head yet. Hence me wanting to get the hey out and SOON.

What I did notice is I used to sneeze ALL THE TIME. So much so I didn't want people to think I had anything catching so always said "I have year round allergies and sneeze all the time":. That used to put people at ease around me when I had a sneezing fit.

Well, I'm sure you guessed it.... after leaving Intel I realized that I DON'T have year round allergies. I still sneeze, but it's extremely rare. That's when I went 'hmmmmm.....'. I suspected the air was bad that we were breathing, and only going to get worse when TW3 came around so I vowed to be out of there before that happened. Great timing on the ERP! Woohoo!! Thank you, Intel!

Dropped 10lbs and happier than ever w/o manager always yelling. Felt sorry for the guy and his boss, WIPT and yields never good enough no wonder the two of them looked so sick

I am also way better. Even if you don't get stressed out it can't be good to inhale everyone else's stress pheromones. Not to mention my hemies are much better now that I don't sit all day.

I am healthier too, from AZ. It's the absence of constant stress and not having to pretend to buy into the 24x7 nonsense of the culture and leadership.