Live data from Hacker News

Verizon Says 44,000 Managers Qualify for Company Buyout Offer

bloomberg.com

1–10 of 42 posts

Re: Verizon Says 44,000 Managers Qualify for Company Buyout Offer

#4
post #2

Amazing that they have 44,000 managers

They use the term manager for lots of roles that don't actually have any management function. I worked on a team within Verizon that had ~40 people, all of whom were considered managers, even though none of us, other than the two actual managers, had any people under us.

Re: Verizon Says 44,000 Managers Qualify for Company Buyout Offer

#5
Aren't these buyout offers the worst way to trim headcount? The people most likely to take them are the ones who are good at their job, and confident of landing another one at a different company. The people least likely to take them are the mediocre ones who know they'll never land an equally good position elsewhere. If you want to keep your best people, this seems like the exact opposite way to do it.

Re: Verizon Says 44,000 Managers Qualify for Company Buyout Offer

#6
post #5

Aren't these buyout offers the worst way to trim headcount? The people most likely to take them are the ones who are good at their job, and confident of landing another one at a different company. The people least likely to take them are the mediocre ones who know they'll never land an equally good position elsewhere. If you want to keep your best people, this seems like the exact opposite way to do it.

I believe the intention is to trim cost

Re: Verizon Says 44,000 Managers Qualify for Company Buyout Offer

#7
post #5

Aren't these buyout offers the worst way to trim headcount? The people most likely to take them are the ones who are good at their job, and confident of landing another one at a different company. The people least likely to take them are the mediocre ones who know they'll never land an equally good position elsewhere. If you want to keep your best people, this seems like the exact opposite way to do it.

For highly compensated people very close to retirement age (which is probably who they are targeting), 60 weeks pay is a mighty fine way to walk out. A non-compete tied to the industry probably dissuades the younger competent people from jumping ship

Re: Verizon Says 44,000 Managers Qualify for Company Buyout Offer

#8
post #2

Amazing that they have 44,000 managers

They use the term manager for lots of roles that don't actually have any management function. I worked on a team within Verizon that had ~40 people, all of whom were considered managers, even though none of us, other than the two actual managers, had any people under us.

For those who may not know, companies do this so they can classify as many workers as possible as "exempt employees" meaning they are exempt from overtime pay and other worker protections.

Re: Verizon Says 44,000 Managers Qualify for Company Buyout Offer

#10
post #2

Amazing that they have 44,000 managers

They use the term manager for lots of roles that don't actually have any management function. I worked on a team within Verizon that had ~40 people, all of whom were considered managers, even though none of us, other than the two actual managers, had any people under us.

Yeah, I worked at a public school district where everybody who was neither hourly, nor a teacher, nor someone high in administration qualifies as a "manager". Pretty much the entire IT team was coded as a manager. It really just meant "salaried, 12-month, no overtime, non-instructional employee". Outside IT most of the people actually did manage people, though.
Post reply on HN