#employeerelations

It's wild how disconnected senior leadership is from the actual day to day. They sit in their meetings looking at spreadsheets and making decisions that have nothing to do with how things operate on the floor. Meanwhile, the people who actually know what's going on are put on ignore, and then they wonder why their grand plans never work out.

Heard there is going to be layoffs? Did it happen? Which departments were impacted, and how many colleagues?

The VSP makes sense for me. I am fortunate and I know it. And I get the fear of everyone. I have heard via a high ranking person within the company that pretty much everyone that asks for it will get it. They might be kept beyond the 9/1 date due to a project or something.
I get what is happening, but the people who don't place the blame 90% on the shoulders of Sarah London and the BOD are misguided. Last week we saw the BOD firming up their grip on power by bringing in another person on their side. This is unfortunate for the employees and probably the stockholders as well.
I wish all my coworkers well, but if you can swing it, take the VSP and move on.

What positions are considered NOT business critical?

Layoffs started today at optum
2 of my 10 person team were let go today

Can anyone confirm the great Mr Bob T is still at fis or left last week?

...for longest period of time that a public company has posted consistent YOY headcount declines.

I got curious this morning about just how unusual the situation at Wells is, and decided to do some digging. Based on the information I can find, here's some of the existing records for longest consecutive streaks of corporate downsizing:

IBM went through 8 years of downsizing from 1985 to 1993 as the tech market moved from mainframes to personal computers, shrinking from a high of 405k employees to 219k by 1993.

General Motors went through 7 years of YOY headcount reductions from 2002 to 2009 as a result of foreign competition and shrinking market share, up until their bankruptcy in the wake of the global financial crisis and bailout by the US government.

Blackberry/RIM posted 5 straight years of headcount cuts from 2011 to 2016 as a result of competition from iPhone and Android, finishing in 2016 with 25% of the employees they started with.

Wells is currently running a streak from 2019 to today, blowing past Blackberries record and in line with GM. Given the CEO's public statements, we're also on track to beat IBM as well. Don't you feel proud to work here?

(My point was this post was just to let folks know, if this feels like an overwhelmingly toxic place to work, you are not alone. The situation at Wells is extraordinarily, historically bad. This is not normal)

They have just started to do major Layoffs nationwide!!!!!!!!!!!! They have not announced anything and are telling employees to keep it hush.
Positions are being dissolved, and are encouraging people to apply to other positions within the organization

East Tx and north Tx being laid off today, some peeps already saying their good byes on teams

Our manager went on leave and let us know a few days later through email he was no longer with the company. Now we're sitting here without a manager not sure if he was fired, laid off, or just left on his own. Frankly, he wasn't a great guy so I don't really care about him, but it'd be good to know if it's a sign of something to come for my team.

I wonder if any DEI department employees were let go.

But I'm yet to hear that anybody found it. That's how bad it is out there. And that's the main reason why not just Verizon, but most of the companies can currently get away with treating their employees like cr-p. There's literally nowhere else to go for the majority of us.

I keep hearing WellCare legacy what does that mean? Who is being considered as a WellCare legacy? I keep hearing this but not sure what that means

We’re all adults here with careers, families, mortgages, and kids.

Yet we’re being treated like toddlers who need constant supervision, or maybe Stink just thinks we’re his prisoners.

Presence reports. Badge tracking. Attendance monitoring. Endless RTO enforcement. Isn’t it a bit much?.. All of it sends the same message, leadership doesn’t trust its employees, and once trust is gone, disengagement follows.

Seriously, why would anyone want to work in an environment like this?

The company talks endlessly about “culture” while implementing policies that actively destroy it.

The result is exactly what you’d expect, lower morale, higher turnover, and employees spending more time worrying about presence reports, FTW letters, and layoffs than innovation or growth.

When professionals are treated like they’re one badge swipe away from detention, it’s hard to feel respected or motivated. Especially when they’re blaming the masses for the faults of 1% who are no longer here.

You can mandate attendance, but you can’t mandate trust, engagement, or hard work & dedication. Loyalty and trust go hand in hand, and this CEO said “loyalty is dead”.

Layoffs are nothing new at Cisco. I often joke that there are three unavoidable things in life: taxes, death, and Cisco layoffs. But this latest round feels different. I've noticed a significant shift in attitude from the executive leadership team, and it's unsettling.

On one hand, I'm glad the "#WeAreFamily" and "#WeAreCisco" messaging has largely disappeared. Those slogans always felt difficult to reconcile with the reality of recurring layoffs. On the other hand, what has replaced them may be even more troubling. The message now seems to be that layoffs are simply part of life and should be expected. Fran has openly stated that Cisco does not offer job security. Mark's focus appears to be relentless cost-cutting. And Chuck seems willing to support whatever is necessary to keep the stock price moving upward.

What does that create? A company that grows through acquisitions, cuts headcount quickly, and offers fewer opportunities for long-term career development.

Why do I say that? If your skills happen to align with current business priorities, you're probably safe for the moment. But if your expertise is no longer considered strategic, you may find yourself included in the next round of layoffs.

I know Fran often highlights internal mobility as a strength, but in more than ten years at Cisco, I have never personally seen someone targeted for a layoff successfully secure a new role through the standard internal hiring process. I have seen people land other positions, but typically because they had strong networks and someone actively advocated for them. Once your name appears on a layoff list, hiring you can be seen as challenging a decision already made by management and approved by HR. Few people are willing to do that.

Meanwhile, only a limited number of roles seem to be available internally, while acquisitions continually bring in new talent and headcount. Combined with the lack of meaningful internal redeployment, it creates the impression that Cisco would rather acquire or hire externally than invest in helping existing employees develop the skills the company says it needs for the future.

So what are we left with?

For me, it no longer feels like a career. It feels like a gig, just a paycheck until something better comes along.

Former Xbox employees warn of potential for retaliation in rumored impending layoffs

Ahead of rumored layoffs at Microsoft-owned Xbox, former employees are warning of potential for retaliation.
They base this claim on their own experiences being ousted by the company under potentially retaliatory circumstances.
They urge current employees to document their experiences at the company and contact their HR partners.

https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/former-xbox-employees-warn-of-potential-for-retaliation-in-rumored-impending-layoffs

I keep hearing about layoffs but nobody will say when. Does anyone know when they'll actually start?

I'm so tired of being punished every time I take a little extra time to help a customer. We're not working in a manufacturing factory. We're not working on a conveyor belt. I need to be able to interact with people without worrying that it's going to cause problems with my manager.

Putting emotions aside and trying to be objective, it seems to me that Danfonso will be moderately successful. They’re just financial engineering their way to a slightly higher free cash flow. Layoffs, outsourcing to India, and cutting costs aren’t novel or revolutionary ideas. They haven’t come up with any new strategies to open up new markets or increase revenue so they’re relying on the tired old playbook. The hype about AI is a smokescreen. It’ll get implemented to some extent but it’s not going to increase revenue, or unleash synergies or cut costs drastically.

It stinks for the employees and will continue to do so. The company will become leaner and slightly more profitable and the executives will exit after getting a big payday.

I feel sorry for the Zenzar and Cognizant newbies who weren’t already employees but are replacing RIF’d and non-rebadged staff.
Thrown into the deep end in some cases and with zero process training.
Better hope there’s some internal documentation to follow because if there’s anybody left to train them those people sure won’t have the time!

I still keep in touch with former co workers in addition to keeping up with postings on this site. I am so glad to no longer be in the firestorm that is being a VZ employee. This was a once great company and I am very grateful for all the skills I acquired during my tenure. That has allowed me to become very successful, but this AI takeover is very real and it seems to be impacting a few key industries the hardest, telecom being one of those. Regardless if you decide to hold off for severance, weather the storm, or depart on your own terms just remember, YOU GOT THIS!

Multiple layoffs expected. Last-minute invite to a "meeting" which is actually just a pre-recorded video letting you know your "role is being eliminated" AKA we're firing you and we didn't even have the decency to do it on an actual live call. The video invite list was masked but I know my entire team was let go, and none of us could mute/unmute ourselves or turn on our cameras to see each other. My team received zero warning about this. My manager said he was completely blindsided.

I’m excited to be leaving. I get paid to leave this sh-tshow!!! Good luck to those who stay.

It is just extremely frustrating that Stankey is still CEO and Chairman of the board after his business blunders cost the company $106 billion. Employees are held to a high standard and now we have these strict presence reports but the CEO gets a free pass.

Stankey and his predecessor Randall are both not capable of running a lemonade stand on a sunny weekend. But we let Stankey remain CEO of a Fortune 50 company. Randall is now on the board of directors of Walmart after leaving AT&T in shambles.

These board of directors should be ashamed of themselves. They are so far removed from the daily operations of the business to understand what is in best interest of the company. To them it is just a part time position where they get to fly into Dallas and be treated like a celebrity for the week.

HP laid off the handful of people who post here.

But somehow that only applies when the topic is easy and doesn't make anyone uncomfortable. When we try to find out about incoming cuts, suddenly its silence. Funny how that works.

Pender County Schools faces a $2.7 million budget shortfall. This deficit could lead to the elimination of about 30 positions. County commissioners approved $6 million for capital needs but not the full operational request. The district requested a $4 million increase but received only $1.3 million. School leaders will meet with commissioners to seek additional funding.

Pender County, North Carolina

https://www.wect.com/2026/06/23/pender-county-schools-says-budget-shortfall-could-lead-layoffs/

The people who actually know how things work are either retiring without documenting anything or getting laid off. And leadership thinks it's fine because they have their VPs. The same VPs who don't know the details and don't want input from anyone below them. It's scary to watch the company make such a huge mistake and not care.

Diageo conducted substantial layoffs across its North American organization. This marks the second round of cuts in as many months. The reduction in force also functions as a sweeping reorganization. Remaining employees are directed to adopt a 'Bigger, Better, Fewer' approach. The company aims to retool big-time brands for the United States market.

https://www.fingers.email/p/at-diageo-more-cuts-reveal-drastic-reorganization

The School District of Palm Beach County is eliminating 76 positions. These affected roles are Media Clerk I and Media Clerk II. Employment for these individuals will conclude on July 31, 2026. Increased compensation costs and declining student enrollment caused these changes. The district aims to re-employ as many affected staff members as possible.

West Palm Beach, Florida

https://cbs12.com/news/local/76-palm-beach-county-school-district-employees-to-be-laid-off-by-end-of-july-florida-news

Ideal US Talent Worker OpCo LLC plans significant layoffs. The company will cut 1,395 workers. These layoffs affect five Illinois counties. Restructuring is cited as the reason for the permanent job losses. Affected employees are encouraged to apply to a third-party partner.

https://www.pjstar.com/story/business/employment/2026/06/24/illinois-employer-reveals-permanent-layoffs-across-five-counties/90654935007/

Any layoffs for home and community?

Rumors of a sick out on the system?

Got pulled into a call with my manager and told I was laid off with 25min before access was revoked. That's nowhere enough time to handle critical knowledge transfers and other responsibilities. What is the plan when things start falling apart tomorrow, next week, next month? I was leading a critical governance and compliance team, what SHOULD be one of the last ones to get laid off, let alone without any warning or plans.

WTF. A pre-recorded call to let people go is the most cowardly way to treat employees.

People have given countless hours to this company, and this is how they’re repaid? The company is clearly going downhill if this is the standard of leadership and respect being shown.

The very least you could do is thank people for their contributions and explain why these decisions are being made. Instead, employees are treated as if their dedication meant nothing.

Stephanie, Bob, and TPO should be ashamed of how this has been handled. In some cases, people have sacrificed personal time, family time, and even left other jobs to come here, only to be dismissed through a pre-recorded message.

This is inhumane, disrespectful, and completely contrary to any values a company should stand for. The way employees have been treated is absolutely disgusting.

My people leader was always so laid back and chill- now its emails about everything regarding production- time-claims, etc. I understand he's stressed but still... is this a paper trail for layoffs? Is it to stop me from getting VSP? T to fire me before hand? I plan on taking it anyway.. are people leaders told to be stricter or is this her way of saving her own job? I feel so discouraged now.

I know a few people who'd take it happily, and it could save a few of us who really want to stay.

Have you all noticed that London pulled all the funding Michael Neidorff had threw out St. Louis and the surrounding areas? It's not only in Missouri, but in the other states too. This is why we no longer have the website that would give employees tickets to events or why we no longer get the Employee Day at the STL ZOO. I heard she got a new jet and she herself said in one of her "London's Calling" video that she "heard it in the hallways in Washington", where she makes notion that she is always up there rubbing elbows with the government. London used Centene as her personal bank account.

Ingka Group, Ikea's largest retailer, implemented an AI chatbot for customer service. The chatbot handled 47 percent of customer calls, potentially displacing 8,500 workers. Instead of layoffs, Ingka Group retrained these employees for new roles. They now provide premium interior design services, creating a new revenue stream. This strategy generated €1.3 billion in 2024 and avoided job losses.

https://www.inc.com/stephanie-davis/layoffs-workers-ai-ikea-leadership-playbook-grow-revenue/91364108