#anxiety

Every time I hear another layoff rumor, my anxiety spikes. At my age, I know the job market isn't kind. Does anyone have positive stories about finding work later in life? I need some hope right now.

Is it too much to ask for a few weeks without layoff rumors? As soon as one round ends, the next one starts getting whispered about. I'm so tired of never being able to let my guard down.

In our region, management has begun to tout how HPOM has been incredibly helpful and boosted efficiency, yet they haven't provided any data or examples to back it up. There's a narrative surrounding HPOM that suggests SAP has too many product owners and product managers. This idea seems to come straight from the McKinsey playbook, and I find it disappointing. Product Owners in our region are anxious and fear they might be laid off. Development Managers are urging teams to draft product documents and user stories using Joule AI. Personally, I don't believe Joule is ready to take over the role of product managers, but most development managers think otherwise. What's the situation like in your area? I assumed they would hold off for at least a year or two before promoting such a narrative, but they haven't. It appears that HPOM was established solely to let go of product managers and replace them with Joule.

Cisco H1b transfer timeline

Has anyone gone through H1b transfer recently from Cisco?

I got an offer three days ago and background check was triggered yesterday.

Does Fragomen Immigration wait for background check before sending immigration questionaire , filing lca and proceeding with the H-1B transfer?

Or it happens simultaneously?

What would be the timeline for this?

Please let me know as I am a little anxious on the timeline

For what it’s worth, I’m glad it wasn’t today. I appreciate the extra time, even a day makes a big difference when you’re preparing for the worst.

Hands up if you have an unexpected meeting schedule for tomorrow morning….. 🙋🏽

Honest question.
Why the sudden urgency around rebranding town halls, one-on-ones, and skip-level meetings… especially when layoffs are happening or rumored?

What’s the point of pushing culture talk and rebranding if people are worried about their jobs? And why are so many of these meetings being scheduled on Thursdays, the same day layoffs usually happen? That timing alone puts people on edge.

I’m genuinely asking—has anyone been through this before and knows what the strategy is? Transparency would go a long way right now.

Just received a short business update 15 minute meeting maker for tomorrow morning at 8am (ET). Why am I supposed to be in early just to get laid off? I'm assuming this is the end of this specific office building. Buildings in our complex have been in the process of being torn down for over a year anyway so why not this one. Peace out.

It's in 30 minutes. Am I as good as gone? Is this how they're notifying people? Is there any chance it could be something else?

I'm not going to be surprised if in the future that's no longer an option. After all, it's not mandated by law, so I can definitely see this leadership deciding it's no longer "in the company's best interest" to keep paying it.

If you have confirmed information, please share it. Otherwise, we're just feeding the anxiety, and we're all stressed enough as it is.

Everyone's talking about big numbers. My team hasn't been hit yet, but that doesn't mean it's safe tomorrow. Judging by the rumors and reports, it definitely looks bad. I'm afraid our worst predictions are coming true.

Since November, there have been persistent rumors of a significant layoff, with Boston CG frequently mentioned as being involved. Nothing ultimately came of it following our November earnings call, but the rumors resurfaced later, with speculation that decisions were finalized by mid-January. This week, our CEO shared a company-wide video stressing that the next 90 days are critical, which would carry us through the end of tax season. Beyond that, the outlook is unclear.

Morale among the ICs and M2/3s I’ve spoken with is low, even outside of MTV HQ. There’s constant pressure to move faster while priorities shift rapidly, and leadership has increasingly been framing Human Intelligence HI as if it were a newly discovered idea and the act of thinking.

I just heard over the wall of a manager who knows another manager that someone in HR who knows a director who said that 90% will be laid off on Wednesday. All sites. No WARN notices though because they do it in a way that they don't have to.

Or at least, I haven't heard a thing. Somehow, that makes me even more worried. They've trained us well.

We'll go crazy before this is over. Normally, I wouldn't care as much, I can't stand my job, but have you seen the unemployment numbers and job market lately?

What else is there to say but good luck to all of us.

More people got cut today, despite a big wave happening this past Thursday. If you even get an itch that something is off (more work, less work, more micromanaging, time off not being approved or acknowledged), it could be a sign. Stay vigilant, keep having conversations with your peers and network, and start looking elsewhere before it's too late. There will probably be more just based on the stock.

Does anyone know any info regarding possible lay offs coming soon? Something feels very reminiscent to this summer right before the big one.

It crosses my mind daily which I know is not healthy. I try not to think about it and focus on my job but I find it impossible to keep the thoughts and fear entering my thoughts.

Once layoffs start, are they usually completed the same day? This’ll be my first layoff since I joined, and I’m more stressed than I’ve ever been. I’m worried one of the criteria will be last in, first out, which means I’m probably gone. I don’t think I can handle this dragging on for more than a day once it starts.

Losing this job doesn't scare me like it used to. The environment has gotten so bad that leaving might be a relief. The benefits are poor and the culture is toxic, so what am I really protecting?

Layoffs are only on post-payday Tuesday?

Verizon has conditioned me for panic. An unexpected invite from my manager? My stomach drops. A sudden team call? I assume it's bad news. The constant low-level te---r is the new normal.

The rumors about major cuts this month feel more substantial than the usual gossip. I'm getting genuinely concerned that we're walking into a disaster in the coming weeks.

Am I the only one who thinks there is way too much reliance on layoffs lately? I like my job at Xylem, but it's been a while since I felt like I have any kind of job security. This wasn't the case always. Now I'm even considering looking for something else, even if I do like it here in general.

We're not living in some golden age where jobs are easy to find. I'm freaking out, and by the looks of it, the vast majority of people around me are too.

What our employer is doing may not be illegal, but it is absolutely intentional.

People who have worked remotely for ten years are suddenly being told to commute hours every day. No individual consideration. No acknowledgement that some people do not even have the means to comply. Dress codes are being tightened after years. Compensation reviews are promised, then quietly abandoned. All of it is happening right in between layoff rounds.

Individually, each change can be defended. Together, they create pressure. Pressure that leadership knows will cause people to quit.

That pattern has a name. Constructive dismissal, also called constructive discharge. It is when working conditions are changed in ways that predictably push people out without formally laying them off.

This approach may help avoid certain legal thresholds, but it does not make it ethical. It places sustained psychological pressure on employees by design. People are left in prolonged uncertainty, forced to make impossible choices between their jobs and their lives, their families, their finances, and their health. The stress is not incidental. It is cumulative and relentless.

For some, this kind of management creates anxiety, sleeplessness, depression, and a constant sense of threat. When policies are used to push people out while leadership remains silent, employees are made to feel trapped and disposable. In extreme cases, this pressure has contributed to serious mental health crises, including people being pushed toward self harm. That is not a side effect. This is the intention.

Legal or not, it is a sh---y thing to do to people who have given years of their lives to a company.

I can only imagine how the people cut this week are feeling. The rest of us will probably spend it consumed with anxiety over next week. About which we still know almost nothing. What a way to treat people.

Hello, as a newly graduate at paypal only less than one year on popular team, am I sc--wed? Just dont want lay off...

The thought of this spilling into next week makes me feel sick.

My small team hasn't been hit yet. I'm a bit in the dark. But I'm seeing a lot of orgs getting hit, both here and overseas. I'm really sorry, everyone. It feels like we're in for some bad times. I wish the best of luck to those already let go.

The rumors are all over the place. Does anyone know anything for certain?

Is that too much to ask for?

Is this the same as getting IM? And means the axe is about to fall?

I'm stuck in the worst kind of limbo. Staying means more of this stress, but leaving without a plan is scary. The fact that I can't decide which is worse says everything about how bad things are here.

The job market is terrible, but the unprofessionalism makes it worse. I've been left hanging after final interviews twice now. Since when did it become okay to just vanish on a candidate? It adds a whole other layer of stress to an already hard process.