#culture

There's no way she's up there talking about how it really isn't that big of a deal to lose/depart a job within the first three minutes (after all the hugging). How tone deaf could this be??

Anyone join ?

I can’t stand to hear him speak or even look at him

He’s so condescending and obnoxious it sickens me

Was there 26.5 years and was WFD a few months ago at 60... but it changed for the worse 5 years ago.. wtf happened?

Those of us still hanging on to the sinking ledge with the few fingers we have left, the Voice Survey is available. Please be very brutal about this company but of course be honest. Don't make it up. They really need to hear how terrible moral is. Most of the new hires will likely have a false sense of positivity at Nielsen, but those of us here for more than a year know the truth. Last time we did the Voice Survey, many of the results were higher than the company deserved, so they didn't panic. Now they need to be.

SOOOOO sick of explaining this so please try to follow along … it isn’t the commitment to sit at a desk 5x8 (even though the guarantee of an actual desk would be a reasonable expectation in that case) it is the forced moves and policing under the guise of collaboration as we sit on Teams with employees in different hubs and the unspoken few who have somehow skirted RTO and remained virtual. It’s a LIE and the only standard this form of RTO aligns with is the new corporate standard of mistreating, overworking, and violating employees, taking advantage of at-will employment terms for gains that only those influencing policy will enjoy.

If you are fortunate enough to live in a hub, celebrate the toxic T culture, and are somehow benefiting from being in the office, great. But the people who were adversely impacted have a right to be pi---d. Leave it at that and stay off these forums.

As September rolls in and the scent of cinnamon wafts through the air like a passive-aggressive performance review, BNY Mellon’s Executive Committee has declared its Q4 strategy: transformation through seasonal beverages.

Forget earnings calls or client retention—this fall, the path to corporate greatness is paved with pumpkin spice and chai foam.

The CEO’s latest social media post, hashtagged #SeptemberScaries, reads like a motivational poster taped to a severance packet. It opens with nostalgic musings about back-to-school season and ends with a rallying cry for “refocusing energy” and “embracing change”—which, in BNY parlance, means layoffs, offshoring, and a new seasonal drink menu.

“Change happens in big ways, but more often it’s the small moments—the turning of a leaf, the brewing of a latte, the quiet hum of analysts sipping espresso in the halls…”

Translation: Your job may be gone by Halloween, but at least the chai is free.

The Rise of the Pumpkin Spice King
In a bold rebranding move, the CEO has unofficially crowned himself the “Pumpkin Spice Latte King,” complete with a LinkedIn banner featuring latte art shaped like a hockey-stick growth curve.

His followers—mostly bots, interns, and one confused VP from Compliance—have responded with emojis, endorsements, and one brave comment that simply reads: “Sir, is Pune hiring?”

The EC insists this seasonal shift represents “micro and macro innovation.” Macro: offshoring 40% of U.S. roles to Pune. Micro: adding nutmeg to the breakroom menu.
The CEO now opens town halls with a steaming PSL in hand, declaring, “This isn’t just coffee—it’s culture.” Meanwhile, the culture team quietly updates the org chart to reflect the new “Pumpkin Spice Transformation Office,” reporting directly to the Chief Beverage Officer (formerly Head of Strategy).

Perks That Feel Like Punishment: Corporate Actions Edition
To celebrate the season, the EC has rolled out a new perk package under the banner of “Corporate Actions for Corporate People”:

• Free seasonal beverages—but only for those who badge in before 7:45 a.m. and survive the daily stand-up without clueless whining.
• Chai & Change Workshops—where employees learn how to reframe layoffs as “growth opportunities” and “strategic pivots.”
• Corporate Action Loyalty Points—redeemable for branded mugs, not job security.
• Pumpkin-themed performance reviews—where feedback is delivered via latte foam art and your bonus is replaced with a cinnamon stick.
  There’s even a new Teams channel called #SpiceUpYourCareer, where HR posts inspirational quotes over latte photos and ignores all questions about severance eligibility.

Transformation, One Sip at a Time
The EC’s fall strategy deck, titled “Brewing Brilliance: Q4 Acceleration Through Seasonal Rituals,” outlines a bold vision:

• Reduce U.S. headcount by 25%
• Increase Pune hiring by 40%
• Replace exit interviews with pumpkin spice surveys
• Rebrand layoffs as “seasonal transitions”

The final slide features a latte cup labeled “Culture,” with steam rising in the shape of a dollar sign and a tagline that reads: “Transformation is a beverage best served warm.”

Analysts are encouraged to “lean in” to the seasonal shift, which now includes mandatory “Latte Alignment Sessions” where teams brainstorm ways to synergize chai with compliance.

Conclusion: The Brew Before the Boo
With Halloween just eight weeks away, the EC is already planning a “Spooky Synergy” campaign. Rumor has it the CFO will dress as a giant orb (surprise!) —yes, a glowing sphere of transformation—complete with a disguised "five-head cranium" and chainsaws in both hands, symbolizing “cutting inefficiencies” and “slicing through legacy processes.”

Middle managers will be encouraged to wear costumes that reflect their Q4 goals: ghost of billable hours, zombie of deferred bonuses, or the ever-popular “Agile Werewolf” who sprints but never delivers.

But for now, it’s September. The air is crisp, the layoffs are brisk, and the new analysts are buzzing—mostly from caffeine and existential dread.

So dear colleagues ... grab your corporate chai, brace for transformation, and remember: at BNY, change is brewing. Whether you’re sipping from a branded mug or packing your desk, it’s all part of the seasonal strategy.

Off we go…

No one reads these. No one cares. Your job isn't more secure because you post giant blocks of text for "everyone" to see.

What used to feel like a really collaborative, upbeat place is completely gone. Now it’s all awkward silences, people looking out for themselves, and meetings where nothing gets done. I can’t believe how fast the culture just…evaporated. I hate working here now, and I used to like my job.

The cringiest corporate display I have ever seen.

It is obvious they do not see us as people. I wish everyone here could leave at once because none of us should settle for this treatment.

What would turn this place around? New leadership? New strategy? Something else?

I’ve learned the hard way not to get emotionally attached to a company. Treat it like a job, not a family or a mission. Give your best at work, but don’t let it control your life or define your self-worth. Trust me, nothing good comes from being a company cultist. You'll be laid off just like the rest of us when the time comes.

Where is the great culture Accenture talked about? I was discriminated and treated real bad. Horrible company.

So here in the NE Management came up with the idea to canvas areas around COR as the penetration rate was not up to par. So with that D2D indirect went door to door ( even in areas where no solicitation was allowed ) and sold our products with false pricing, false promotions and outright lying. With that, our reputation both locally and nationwide got destroyed. Neighbors talk. Lets face it, I bet you talk to yours. So now our little store has very little traffic, only those who got ripped off from D2D. But we still have the same numbers to hit. Not that we can offer the same promo's that D2D offers, or online, or over the phone - but yet we must still compete with our own. And yet all these sales channels say the same thing to every customer ......just go in to your local store - they will set up everything for you ; just go to your local store - they will exchange the phone for anything you want ; go to your local store and pick up your gift card there ; go to your local store, they will waive all your activation fee's. So are we suppose to do sales or cust service as we are confused - cause all that's left is crumbs.

But if I do stay, what’s the point of getting invested in my work? Hard work and skills aren’t rewarded here. They’re punished. Because in the end, they just come with a higher price tag.

Hi all, It's really cool that we can all share information anonymously here but it bothers me that this is totally public. I think that it makes sense to move these important and sensitive conversations to a place where only Illumina employees have access (maybe Glassdoor bowls?). There is no way of knowing if the information posted here is coming from a good place or being planted by competition or outsider haters (fu-k you Alex Di-kinson). We all know that our conversations and sentiment here leaks out to Linkedin and may end up having an impact on how our company and teams are perceived externally (investors, competition, etc.) and that may make our work even harder. What do you all think?

After a few years at Oracle, I was let go, not because of performance but because of this AI nonsense. Still, I’m not surprised when I took this job, I knew this company didn’t care much about their employees, but I was happy to have a paycheck and lucky to pay my bills. I'm just very disappointed…

Below are a few takeaways:

My coworkers were amazing. Everyone was great to connect with.
Significant amount of training..
Compensation was below average, but it paid the bill.
Great healthcare.
Work from home.

The negative:
My management was mediocre. Some teams had great managers, but mine was a total disappointment. All he cared was to look better for his director.
No raise, work harder. No one get a raise.
The amount of work to meet your metric was nonsensical. Always under the g-n!
I worked over the weekend to do a great job, and that is the thank you!!
You learn a lot in the first year, but you get stuck in a role you will never move up!! Your skill get stagnant.
The manager only selects a few for a raise.
Manager control the amount of work you get and purposely try to sabotage you it seems. No transparency.

Bottom line
I'm sad I'm gone, but it's better I deal with this now, than waste another five years of my life in this company which I would have done.

I see many posts asking if the layoff will be over.
Be realistic with yourself. Oracle will lay off more people next year to fund its investment in AI. It's a high-debt company, and they need to trim peoples. All you can do is have a safe backup plan and upskill. Don't work hard for this company!

Oracle is all about cutting cost now, and to increase its stock value. Their new Ai platform is already a total mess. They don't care about their customers or improving their tool set.

Maybe I'm wrong with all of this but that my interpretation.

Wish everyone the best!!! Don't stay too long there!!!!

To: All Employees
From: Leadership Communications
Subject: Reinvention Update

Dear Team,
As part of our ongoing Reinvention journey, we want to take a moment to recap the tremendous progress we’ve achieved, which on closer inspection looks suspiciously like chaos:

• Q2 Results: While our financial performance was pure garbage, we see this as a powerful opportunity to demonstrate resilience and accelerate the pace of transformation, because turning failure into a buzzword is cheaper than fixing the business.

• Leadership Evolution: John B has transitioned from his role as COO to continue serving on our Board, which sounds like a noble continuation but in practice means his head was required on a silver platter. He will chair the new Integration Committee, which is a committee no one asked for but looks reassuring in press releases.

• Leadership Innovation: Our Chief Disruption Officer, Deena P, has announced she is leaving to spend more time with her family, which is the universally accepted code for “thank you for the selfies, now please go". We are grateful for the inspiration and hashtags she brought to Reinvention, because nothing drives shareholder value like social media content.

Looking forward, we are excited to announce the next step: a global headcount optimization initiative. Executives have been tasked with submitting names by end of Q3, at which point 3,600–4,800 colleagues will be invited to explore career opportunities outside the company.

As a global enterprise, we are committed to fairness, but also math: it is dramatically cheaper and faster to fire people in the U.S. than in other countries where local laws demand notice periods, unions, and dignity. Accordingly, our American colleagues should expect to play a leading role in this Reinvention milestone, because your jobs are legally the easiest to erase.

We understand there is hope that reductions will focus on less-productive management layers. While that hope is touching, history has shown us that those compiling the lists — along with their friends, spouses, siblings, and Saturday tennis partners — somehow never appear on them.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to Reinvention. With fewer people, less stability, and more recycled jargon, we are confident that together we can continue to deliver bold PowerPoint slides that tell a story our numbers cannot.

Warm regards,

Your Leadership Team

Visa must be buying Best Place to work awards and most ethical company in the world trophies. Visa has very poor leadership ethics and culture as a workplace, and have been like this for many years. Some leaders considered very successful have s-xual harassment habits and cases on their record and are protected. Other employee harassment habits at VP and above levels are enabled and empowered by HR. So anyone applying to Visa for leadership roles, thinking of ethical Visa, please do check your values and culture. If it aligns with these leadership behaviors, dive in and join us, you will be successful and will quickly climb the executive ladder at Visa.

Allstate sounds like the same useless sh-t hole that State Farm has become! Used to be a great place to be but has turned into an unbearable h-ll hole! Same Execs just different place as they all run in the same circles and listen to the same Consultants. Progressive will pass us to become the #1 auto insurer in the 4th quarter or at the latest, first part of 2026. Not only that, if they write 8 million new autos again they will be almost 9 million ahead and SF or anyone else will ever catch them. Everything the play they call fails they call it again and again at SF! It's always the employees fault, never them and their plans. During in-office weeks over the last several months, we have ambulances pulling up because someone has stroked out at their desk due to al the stress. The whole industry has just become toxic! Best wishes! Go Progressive is out motto at SF! Serves the right!

They are handling employees so much better these days. It must be some management change or strategy change

This company has changed in the last few years. Theres a clique of people hired in by their mates and now theyre slowly dragging the company into mediocrity

STEPHAINE

Selfish
Tyrant
Egotistical
Predatory
Heartless
Amoral
Insensitive
Narcissistic
Evil

Post here your most incredulous example of executive position in IBM which has limited or no impact on IBM's growth trajectory yet somehow remains entrenched in IBM-Lore as a relevant and essential part of the machine. Examples can include those who are WFAWBO (work from anywhere but an office); those who have "robust team" of 5 direct reports (including their Admin) who they never meet; those who spend more time on LinkedIn than W3; and those who seal clap great leader style every time an SVP holds a meaningless 'oldies-but-goodies" townhall. Let the fun begin!

What fun it would be if they introduced an internal ‘anonymous’ blog like this and employees could post to the leadership - would they read it and, more importantly, would they listen.

For anyone thinking the change to Sycamore is going to lead us to better things anytime you need to be ready. They’re preparing to walk the new CEO through the budget for this year but aren’t letting anyone with actual insights into the room. He’s going to be fed a load of BS that can’t be delivered and everyone will be left with the fallout.

Unless the new owners want to actually hear from the few of us that have ideas to reinvent this company, the beatings will continue.

I'm amazed at how many co-workers I talk to weekly that absolutely despise this place and hate every single aspect of their job but still pay State Farm thousands every month in premiums? Is it Stockholm Syndrome?

This company is a total living sh-t hole and the Executives are the absolute sc-m of the earth that abuse people? Not only that, we are too expensive? Can some explain why? Makes no sense, cancel your State Farm insurance and go somewhere else! Place is a he-l hole! Get them in their own "Accountability Cycle" - Fu-k that place!

It feels like Yong-Hee has visited every location, region and remote worker over the last two weeks. Squid Games is real and we know LE and Catz are the ones in the masks calling the shots when it hits RED. The only ones left getting Mr Piggy are the not the workers thats for sure.

It’s about treating your workers like excr-ment and telling them (begging them practically) to leave if they don’t like it.

It’s about urging managers to take an OHI survey to gauge the culture, and promising to share the results and then burying them and lying about why.

It’s about stating out loud that your workforce is still too old during a live town hall and then deleting the recording.

It’s about getting dismal feedback and engagement on an eNPS survey, and then sending an email late on a Friday to every management employee telling them their feedback on said survey isn’t valid, and (again) that they should leave if they don’t like it here...and then tasking your lowest level management to come up with action plans to "fix" it.

Layoffs are happening, quietly, here and there. I've seen a few people being let go just during the summer months. They will continue happening until 2030. You either find another job or make peace with the possibility of being laid off and collecting severance check. That's Cargill now days, pretty toxic!

Bumping this from @2es+1k33rmqyn for info.

The founders of EJ (including Ted himself) knew this and used that understanding to build a virtuous cycle of success that became Edward Jones. Trust built commitment, commitment fostered ownership, ownership supported loyalty, loyalty fueled business results…and so on…

At the hands of the abhorrent leadership in place today, EJ is now fully in the throughs of a vicious cycle. To be clear, enterprise reimagined is a symptom of a disease that started when Penny (who has to be among the worst judges of talent) appointed leaders to her exec team who were entirely incompetent to lead the firm forward in a new competitive landscape. Some were homegrown incompetents who Penny was foolishly loyal to (eg Cella, Dolan), others like Chubak were opportunists who actually have sophisticated firm experience but weren’t on the c-suite track in their former companies, usually due to leadership flaws or excessive levels of ego/self interest.

As the firm began to lose market share in core midwestern strongholds, those leaders in turn appointed other weak GPs (with preference to good “order takers” who wouldn’t provide constructive challenge to their insecure superiors). This had the effect of further shielding the realities of the day to day field/HO experience from senior leadership.

While GP returns grew largely due to cost cutting, underlying business performance (net new assets, new clients, FA retention) deteriorated. Leaders who have no track record of successful business transformation responded by pushing change even faster, eroding trust and confidence. Field turnover spiked, more panic set in, assets slowed further…and a vicious cycle had begun by 2022/23.

Enterprise reimagine is hatched in 2024 by the same leaders to mask their own failures, secure GP earnings and further consolidate “control” which these leaders felt they had lost. Similar to other changes, this was slapped together “loose and fast” by ELT members who have never led a restructuring and informed by 30 something consultants who can see the vicious cycle with dollar signs dancing in their heads.

Trust, confidence and loyalty is now even further eroded, effectively destroying the foundation culture Ted established the firm on. Tenured and some newer EJ leaders who challenged the path that brought us here were shown the door.

The culture that was the root of the firm’s virtuous cycle is now gone, the victim of bad leadership starting at the top. Replacing it is a vicious cycle that will now be nearly impossible to break without a sea change of leadership at the top - and an enormous rebuilding effort.

Clients, Associates and Partners, you deserve so much better.

I’ll never understand the mindset of people who think their job is validated by swiping into an office instead of actually producing results. Walking past a turnstile doesn’t make you valuable. Sitting in a cube doesn’t make you productive. And bragging about being “present” doesn’t make customers any happier.

The real measure of worth here is what you deliver — the problems you solve, the customers you help, the value you create. That used to be obvious. But now we’ve got folks acting like their contribution is measured in commutes and cube hours. That’s not work, that’s theater.

AT&T doesn’t survive on badge swipes. It survives on results. The sooner this company remembers that, the sooner we stop bleeding talent to competitors who already figured it out.

How do long timers at Cisco feel about the acquisitions taking over instead of assimilating?

1 this too shall pass eventually
2 will make Cisco better
3 can't wait until they go away
4 give them a chance

There were very few people that decided to spend the first week RTO as required by Intel couldn’t even make it four days. It shows the caliber of Intel employees

Whenever we hear someone is leaving the firm, the first question is always “leaving on their own?” It is not right that our brains have been trained to think this way.

The impact of poor mental health from a toxic workplace can last a very long time.

Incoming new hire here. What’s the current culture at Citi within HCOL offices in the US? Specifically NYC/Boston offices? Is the whole bora bora project (mass layoff) still going on?

the return to office push is really a quiet layoff.

during covid many companies overhired. now instead of open cuts, they pressure people back into offices under the culture excuse.

here’s the kicker...... 70%+ of companies will demand 3+ days in office by end of 2025. that’s almost three quarters making attendance a downsizing trick with no official layoffs... voila.

meanwhile remote, proven to raise retention and productivity, is being ki-led off. companies want control of bodies, not more value. it’s a squeeze, not a focus shift. this isn’t about better work. it’s about cutting headcount without hr drama.

and if you hear chatter like oh we’re an office culture, right before they talk comp, take it as a warning. if execs push for 5 days or dangle perks for facetime, stop and ask: is this really culture, or just a quiet exit plan.

look through the haze and fu-k them…

Nothing like some good ol big brother trying to figure out who wrote what. Post about an HR exit keeps getting removed 2 times now.

For those who don't currently work at Ford, you may think the posts about having a chair taken, restrooms in disrepair, parking lots on overflow, and people camped out in cafeterias that were not made for working are all an overstatement. As a current employee I'm here to tell you they are absolutely true and being reported by our coworkers on an increasingly frequent basis. I have personally witnessed each of those things in my building in Dearborn.

Current employees, I encourage you to join the viva engage channels where folks are sharing their experiences from around the world. You can share your experience, you are not alone.

In Mexico, they are commuting 1-2 hours each way due to the traffic congestion around the location where the Ford campus is located. In Dunton, a 20 mile drive can take 1-2 hours with traffic.

These are not employees looking to complain for the sake of complaining. These are employees who have done what was asked and showed up to their assigned location, only to be continually failed by leadership and Ford Land.

Someone posted about occupancy limits and fire code violations. They are cramming so many people into spaces that were not meant for people to be sitting at. Cords are draped across tables and the floor since there are no power outlets on tables that were meant to eat lunch at.

It doesn't have to be this way and it shouldn't be this way. Please speak up. Use the onsite feedback site that I'm sure has been shared in your channels. This is not healthy, it is not productive, and for those of us who truly want to see the company succeed, it is accomplishing nothing but tearing us apart.

The wider we share our experiences, the more chances we have to put some real social pressure on those who made these decisions.

To all of those showing up, hang in there and know you're not alone. And also, I'm sorry, we used to be so much better than this.

Ford’s crawling with shameless a-s-kissers who couldn’t do real work if their lives depended on it.