#attrition

It almost feels intentional, as if my team is being set up to fail. It seems more like attrition by design than anything else. People are so demoralized that no one has the energy to push back. Being laid off with severance is beginning to feel like a win, given Nike's trajectory and compared to being worn down by tactics meant to make you quit or give a reason to fire you.

We're already covering two or three jobs each. What's the plan? Do they expect the remaining few to do four or five people's work until everyone burns out? What happens then?

In the last couple of weeks, two senior managers on my floor have left voluntarily. Their departures weren't part of any announced layoff, and they both gave standard notice. The fact that senior-level people are choosing to leave so closely together has sent a wave of concern through our team. It makes you wonder what they might know about the company's future plans that hasn't been shared with the rest of us. Is this a sign of things to come?

We were explicitly told when someone quits they will not be replaced. I’m a hometown store.

my point has gone so far down hill.we have half the carmen we're slotted for.senior guys have decided to resign rather than put up with the neverending piles of b.s.younger folks have quit because they see no future hear.most days yard repairs are down because we have a conscious and don't want guff for trains going out late.it seems like an injury is bound happen.but for now the trains aren't going out late so whats the issue?

I worked at National Oilwell Varco for nearly three years and gave far more than was ever asked of me. I consistently worked overtime, stepped up whenever needed, and sacrificed my own time to support the company. That dedication meant absolutely nothing in the end. There is no real path for growth here—no clear outline for advancement, no meaningful raises, and no incentive to actually perform at a higher level. Unless you are part of the “good ol’ boy” club, you will remain stuck in the same position indefinitely while promotions are handed out based on favoritism instead of merit.

I was passed up for a promotion in favor of someone who left the company for an extended period of time and was simply allowed to come back and leapfrog others who had stayed loyal and continued to carry the workload. When layoffs came, the decision was not based on skill, value, or contribution, but on a so-called “totem pole” system. This is especially insulting considering I was part of a very small team and knew how to do everyone’s job, making me far more valuable than others who were retained.

To make matters worse, the company chose to lay off someone who showed up every single day, never abused time off, and consistently did the work, while keeping employees who regularly burned through PTO, had attendance problems, and had even been written up for not showing up. That decision alone speaks volumes about how NOV truly operates.

National Oilwell Varco does not live up to the values it proudly claims to stand for. Loyalty, hard work, and accountability are clearly not rewarded here. Instead, favoritism and internal politics determine who moves forward and who gets pushed out. I genuinely hope the company collapses or is completely sold off to another organization that actually values its employees and operates with integrity—because in its current state, NOV does not deserve the people who give their time and effort to it.

Turnover’s exploding everywhere else, but here things feel oddly frozen. I’m still looking for something better, but most of my team seems content to stay put. Makes me wonder whether they know something I don’t or if people are just exhausted.

im loosing lots of associates. and they are not being replaced.
some days its just two associates on entire sales floor, especially in the mornings. it's worse now that after covid, way worse. i dont think i can take this much longer either.

The pay used to make the tradeoffs worth it, but weak raises ki-led that, advancement paths are basically closed, and attrition keeps accelerating, which just means more work dumped on fewer people. At this point, believing there’s a bright future here feels less like optimism and more like choosing not to see what’s right in front of us.

The older workers pdf clearly showed a bias in laying off the older population of RFEs. A couple of very recent RFE hires were included in with the riffed group (to mask the age discrimination?). Were RFEs in other regions affected similarly?

Also, the CARTN RFE team already has approx. 20 contractors (not touched) supporting the build plan (entering data in the tools per the RFEs' directions, plus running plots for review by the RFEs). ALL of the 20 or so contractors appear to be from India (Amdocs, with the contractors in TX?). Are the contractors now going to planning the designs of the cell sites? How is the quality of the designs (new builds and modification projects) going to be affected given the relatively short time span contractors are working for VZ (through Amdocs)? Contractors do not have as much skin in the game as fulltime VZ employees, and it may take 6 months to a year and a half for poor quality work to show up in the network.

Really short sighted on the part of management.

Along with demoralizing remotes and all the other well-known, obvious or sneaky ways to wear people down until they leave on their own, or give leadership an excuse to kick them to the curb. If even a fraction of the time and energy spent on these cheap, convenient push-out tactics were redirected toward actually building the business and caring about employees, this could be a great company.

Then I’ll just put in less effort. I’ve always been responsible and usually gone the extra mile, including being available well beyond official hours. I’ve helped resolve plenty of crises and messy situations. But if this is how it’s going to be, I’ll simply stop being available after hours. I’ll coast until they lay me off. That’s probably coming anyway, for all of us, so why bother anymore?

Don’t teams need a minimum of six? On my site many are down to four and many of the ones that aren’t they are having managers plan to cut down to that. This is in research. When will managers get cut? Didn’t see any in last round get cut and none through PIP either

It feels like every other week, someone else is announcing their early retirement. While I understand the desire to move on from Honeywell, the timing and number of people leaving has me puzzled. The typical workplace frustrations don't seem to fully explain this sudden exodus. I wonder if there's a common, unspoken reason that's prompting so many to make this decision right now.

It's getting pretty empty around here lately. Several of the sharpest people on my team just left for much better offers. And if they managed to get better offers in this job market, you know they're good. It's frustrating because a simple, competitive raise probably would have kept them. But I guess that kind of forward thinking is asking too much from this place.

Our team's lost four people since the fall, and they aren't being replaced. All this extra work is probably just going to push more of us out the door. I don't see how this helps the company in the long run, but here we are.

Another week of high profile corporate exits. Head of channel (VP) out after just 5-6 months in the job. 5th channel leader in 18 months. Replaced by 2 senior directors.

Marketing leader leaving Dec 31.

When I started here, most of my mentors told me this was a great place—pensions, growth potential, the works. Now, everyone who's still left is straight-up telling me to GTFO. The plan seems to be constant reductions. What used to happen every few years is now hitting 2-3 times every 12-18 months."

Oof, that sounds like a classic case of the ship slowly sinking while the band plays on. If the veterans are all yelling "run," it's probably time to listen. Update that resume quietly!

I find it almost comical that companies still wrap RTO in “collaboration and efficiency” fluff, when we all know it’s really about pushing people out cheaply. Add in micromanagement and a pathological need for total control, and it becomes truly demeaning and ridiculous. Utterly unnecessary for efficiency, performance, or teamwork. But then again, the substance has clearly never been the priority.

My team got hit, and we ended up losing two of our strongest people. In all honesty, if I was laid off instead of them, I'd understand. They've been here longer, they know their jobs, and they have so much institutional knowledge, and yet they're gone. We also have some low performers, and all of them are still here. Can somebody please explain the logic behind this?

Any word on cuts in the new year in 2026? Some job functions are starting to integrate AI to reduce headcount. Repetitive functions are being streamlined by AI. This is occurring from roles from accounts receivable, payable, payroll, service desk analyst, desktop analyst and more.

Some say because CNRL has a history of not cutting it won’t occur in one shot. Rather they will initially try to focus cuts on attrition (not hiring for those who retire, quit or go on disability leave). CNRL has been historically slow to take any strategy moves. With the changing economy and tariffs we will have no choice to pivot. Other industries have seen and continue to see job cuts due to AI. It’s only a matter of time before the impact is seen here.

Hold off on those expensive summer vacation to France, Germany or other places like some did in 2025. We are in for a rough ride ahead. Believe it or not AI is coming for our jobs even here at CNRL, it’s just a matter of time.

Dan, this message is for you.

Restructuring is a strategic necessity, but the way it was executed has exposed a serious problem inside the organization. Many leaders protected low performers simply because they were friends or favorites, while top talent — the people who carried teams, drove results, and supported customers — were the ones eliminated.

We saw the same pattern during the last VSP: some of the strongest minds and most committed employees walked out the door. It’s happening again, and the impact is real. When the people who actually make the company successful are gone, the company doesn’t get stronger — it gets weaker.

Verizon cannot grow if it keeps losing its best people while keeping those who contribute the least. Our customers feel it, our teams feel it, and the culture feels it. Favoritism is not leadership, and it’s not how you build a high-performance organization.

If we want to restore trust, retain talent, and win in the market, we need accountability for how these decisions were made. And we need to start investing in and protecting the hardworking employees who truly move this company forward.

They’ve made the conditions so difficult that we either leave on our own or stay completely miserable, and at this point it feels entirely by design. They’re not even subtle or creative about it anymore. What’s next?

Dell continues to keep employees who barely contribute, and I can't figure out why for the life of me. People coast through their jobs and still get the same pay and benefits as those of us working hard. Getting rid of actual low performers and keeping capable staff would improve both morale and productivity instantly.

So let me get this straight…

We don’t have any assigned desks but…

1. You can book a desk online
2. If full, join another IDT neighbourhood
3. You aren’t allowed to use other available areas in the building on a regular basis (LOL)
4. In high demand days you will be told which days to work from site
5. Attendance owners are tracking you

This is all absolutely ludicrous and ambiguous on purpose so they can say you weren’t “following the rules” and give you a lower rating at the end of the year.
And they get to determine what it means.

I’m very curious to see how many people worldwide will actually abide by this. I suspect it will not have the effect Wael is hoping it will. After all, you can only inflict this type of pain only if people let you.

After the backlash from trying to take away the purchased vacation, I hope there is a backlash here too. These rules aren’t for the betterment of the company as a whole, it’s Wael’s way to inflict attrition for people to leave on their own accord or to justify laying off.

These “rules” aren’t taking us to better long-term investments, it’s not taking us to better acquisitions.

The same disastrous decisions of burning cash through stock buybacks are being done by Wael all while telling us we can’t sit at the cafeteria if we want to.

“Only then use other available areas”
Only then when? Once? Every time? For a week? The wording is intentional.

It seems to me, Wael doesn’t need any workers at all, he seems to believe he can run the company all on his own. Maybe we should all listen and let him do it.

SBC Legacy Executives chased off all the talent and threats to upend their massive incompetence.

Some of the best folks I’ve worked with over the years are leaving Schwab on their own because they’re tired of guessing what’s next. It’s depressing to watch talent drain like this.

I am beginning to hear rumblings of some of the front line sales reps who were laid off being backfilled as early Q1. Primarily the VBG client execs, public sector and sled CEs, SAMs, and the SMB reps who were just laid off. It’s sounding like they laid off who they perceive as low performers only to be backfilling their positions for the same or similar territory come Q1.

That’s the uk offshore workforce been hit with 10% reduction from our poor offshore dayrate.
The following day my boss is telling me to stay vigilant at the well site despite the cut!
For me it’s do the bare minimum to get by.

Visited the offices in IL and TX and there isn’t anyone I recognize in the office anymore. Conferences don’t have any UOP name players. Far fall in the last 10 years. Leftovers.

People leaving in droves. I don’t think this place will hold together much longer. The whole vibe truly feels like prep for a sale.

There is a mass exodus of all job categories both in stores and at corporate in the state of North Carolina, dozens and dozens of jobs vacant in all areas (from high level corporate to entry level sales associate) all areas in almost all stores in the state of North Carolina.

Trying sh---y AI into performance is a new low.

It’s frustrating to watch the same underperformers stay while anyone competent gets pushed out. If we actually kept our best people, constant cuts wouldn’t even be necessary.

They keep cutting experienced staff only to bring in new people who take ages to get up to speed. What's the point?

The whole place feels stretched thin because we’re missing people on the floor and in management, and it shows every day.

Though Verizon was one of the dream company to work for but like many of us I thought the same, worked there for more than 14 years and gave it all. Weekend work and a tons of after hours work to make our customers happy. The company literally took 2 minutes to make me a stranger. On the good side Verizon Underpays you and I realized it more when this VZ bubble broke, I realized how much I am worth of.
In some places very poor decisions were made where poor performers were kept since they were friends with the bosses and good performers were let go just because thier focus to make the best network and $u-k up to the boss or bosses boss.
In the end Im grateful to what I got but excited for the new chapter since it will pay much more than this $hitty company was paying
Request to higher ups to please review certain regions and ask why poor performers were kept when they had multiple HR complaints against them and failed in thier previous roles, friendships/ favouritism?

If it’s true that a full RTO mandate is coming in January, that’s what will really hit us. They’ll 100% set the requirements so they’re impossible, or near impossible, for a lot of people to meet, fully aware that everyone will bend over backwards to comply given the job market. RTO will just become another way to push people out without calling it cuts.

The primary method of problem resolution here is time-based: solve every issue with excessive hours and involvement, only to face the identical issue again soon after. The organization values quantity of labor over quality of insight.

Authority and recognition seem heavily weighted toward those who endure the longest hours in this specific, insular environment. The standard expectation of 60+ hours feels like a metric for compliance rather than genuine innovation.

Many core functions rely on deeply entrenched internal processes that are often inefficient or could be replaced by widely accepted industry standards. There is a clear pattern of confusing labor with effective problem-solving—the actual value of a top engineer is in recognizing patterns and defining the correct challenge.

This model rewards effort over efficiency.

The skills fostered here appear to be highly specialized to this internal ecosystem, and those relying solely on them would struggle to compete in the broader tech industry.

The environment fosters a kind of emptiness—a focus solely on the job to the exclusion of personal life or intellectual development. Pattern recognition and proactive problem avoidance are disincentivized.

Those with external options should prioritize a strategic exit immediately.

How our beloved institution seems to have lost its soul and senior talent.

At BNY Mellon, "strategic alignment" appears to be more of a psychological endurance test than a business principle. It feels like we're in a corporate escape room where the clues are cloaked in jargon, the exits are offshored, and the ultimate reward is a Teams meeting with someone fresh out of college who thinks "mainframe" refers to a type of Sleep Number mattress.

Let's start with our CEO, Robin Vince. His leadership style, characterized by vague declarations and performative empathy, seems to ignore the fact that our ship is sinking while they outsource the lifeboats and call the iceberg "cost synergy." His signature look—perpetual five o'clock shadow, freshly steamed suit, and a Rolex Platinum—speaks volumes. While he touts "free coffee in the office" as if it's a groundbreaking perk, jobs are quietly slashed, benefits reduced, promotions frozen, and merit increases become almost laughable. Anything with a cost is either stopped, frozen, or eliminated.

Then there's the Return to Office (RTO) campaign, which was touted as a bold move toward collaboration but ended up feeling more like a scavenger hunt for badge access in a haunted coworking space. Employees were encouraged to "reconnect," only to find their teams had been restructured, relocated, or replaced by someone in Wroclaw who thinks "Waterfall" is a Spotify playlist. The real aim seems to be forcing attrition without paying severance. If you're mid-career, have missed a few badge swipes, work from home, or your office commute now involves multiple transfers and a broken escalator, congratulations—you've been strategically unaligned.

The pattern of layoffs, or "realignments" and "talent redistributions," is another concern. It feels like we're constantly under the threat of being let go, with every "quick sync" or "just checking in" message potentially signaling the end. If you're a male over 40, HR may have already tagged you as "legacy talent"—a polite way of saying "low T, too expensive to keep, too experienced to promote."

Our globalization strategy, which involves sending jobs to India and Poland, complicates things further. The result is a tangled mess of time zones, miscommunication, and Jira tickets bouncing around like the timeline for releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files. Clients notice, deadlines slip, and deliverables vanish, but we're reassured by the opening of a new "Center of Excellence" in a country where no one has met the client or used the software.

The hiring strategy now mirrors a university career fair, favoring fresh grads over seasoned professionals. These new recruits are bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and completely unqualified, but they're cheap and can build dashboards filled with cat memes and Sora videos. Meanwhile, experienced employees are nudged toward "voluntary transitions" or given roles so meaningless that early retirement becomes an appealing option.

Our product delivery strategy is another area of concern. It feels like a choose-your-own-adventure book where every path leads to a missed deadline. Teams are gutted, timelines are fictional, and clients are reassured with phrases like "we're in the ideation phase" or "we're pivoting to a more scalable solution," which is code for "we have no idea what we're doing."

Finally, when in doubt, we call McKinsey. Their playbook includes renaming layoffs as "talent fluidity," creating dashboards that track morale using emoji reactions, launching pilot programs that solve nothing but look great in slide decks, blaming the org chart and redrawing it using a dartboard, and hosting "strategic engagement sessions" with bagels and muffins, calling it transformation.

In summary, BNY's strategic alignment feels more like a slow, grinding descent into cost-cutting madness masquerading as innovation. The only thing truly aligned is the exit door. If you're still here, congratulations—you've survived another quarter of corporate performance art. Just remember, your resilience isn't a virtue; it's a KPI. Your reward? Free coffee and the privilege of watching your job get reclassified as "non-core" while waiting for your personal release date.