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Better.com CEO fires 900 employees on Zoom call

maggrand.com

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Re: Better.com CEO fires 900 employees on Zoom call

#341

Post by mynameisvlad »

0des wrote: post #274
BrandonM wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of you is trying to help these people find their next job.

I have a few qualms with this comment: 1. For a person who just lost their job, you can already search for such an opportunity yourself quite trivially by getting a resume, editing it locally with notepad, and then using email to send it. From Windows or Mac, this resume could be accessed through built-in software. 2. It doesn't actually replace a new job prospect. Most people I know choose to promote their startups…

So do you have a problem with the placement.com service, or the GP promoting it?

Because shifting goal posts does nobody good.

Re: Better.com CEO fires 900 employees on Zoom call

#342

Post by smaryjerry »

I know people are worried about peoples feelings over all else and that is important, but after the shift to everyone working from home I bet every single person here knows that one out of every 10 of their coworkers is not performing. Hell I question question if they ever work at all or just collect their check, let alone perform well.

Re: Better.com CEO fires 900 employees on Zoom call

#343

Post by Spivak »

manuelabeledo wrote: post #305
sneak wrote: post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There is no way competent managers would let 15% of the workforce slip so hard Possible, even likely, that 900 layoffs probably encompasses some less than competent managerial staff?

And that is fine. Where are their managers, though.

And this isn't a turtles all the way down thing either. This is the entire point of a hierarchical system. Everyone's performance is monitored and checked by the layer above them up until you hit the CEO.

Sure, it's not crazy to have 10% underperformers at any given company, someone has to be below average. But regular pruning doesn't involve mass layoffs like this.

Re: Better.com CEO fires 900 employees on Zoom call

#346

Post by wonderwonder »

djrogers wrote: post #165
chrisseaton wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you can warn people about their performance without using abuse.

Abuse? Really? Is a single email where someone vents frustration for 2 lines actually abuse ?

If you think allowing someone with a massive power differential to call you dumb and degrade you is not abuse then you have been working and some pretty terrible places and I hope you find somewhere better.

Re: Better.com CEO fires 900 employees on Zoom call

#347

Post by pixelgeek »

ripper1138 wrote: post #307
pixelgeek wrote: post #86

I would also like to point out that there is no actual proof that there was the type of employee shenanigans he talks about. He also says "The 43-year-old CEO said that the “market has changed” and that the company had to lose weight in order to remain agile enough to adapt to the evolving housing market, which appears to be cooling after a pandemic-boosted boom." So maybe the 'people stealing time' comment is just a…

How do you know there’s no proof? Not like they’re gonna write a blog about it.

I am basing it on the article. If the company had proof of the claims I would assume that they would publish them or detail them to the people writing the article.

In the absence of anything to back it up then one has to treat it as an untested claim.

Re: Better.com CEO fires 900 employees on Zoom call

#348

Post by rootusrootus »

mrits wrote: post #160
post-it wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Zoom call part isn't really the issue, although individual Zoom meetings would have been better. > In another email obtained by Forbes last year, Garg wrote: > > ‘You are TOO DAMN SLOW. You are a bunch of DUMB DOLPHINS and…DUMB DOLPHINS get caught in nets and eaten by sharks. SO STOP IT. STOP IT. STOP IT RIGHT NOW. YOU ARE EMBARRASSING ME.”

You can't really fire 900 people on individual Zoom calls. After the first 10 minutes everyone will know what their meeting is about and it makes the problem worse. People will be texting their managers begging for information and the manager will have to lie for a day or two until they are authorized to say in the meeting.

If the element of surprise is important, then you set up one-on-ones with all employees regardless of whether they will be laid off. Probably going to want to talk to the ones staying, anyway.

Re: Better.com CEO fires 900 employees on Zoom call

#349

Post by ajb »

seanlinehan wrote: post #35

To anybody affected by this layoff, my company Placement.com created a Better.com Alumni Job Board [0] to help smooth the transition. We've seen over and over how much easier it is to get a job at a company where: 1. You have a connection (or can build one easily) 2. The company recognizes the companies you previously worked for Targeting companies that ex-colleagues work at is a powerful strategy! So we made this bo…

Just checked out your website: Seems like a nice idea. One thing that looks shady though: it is hard to understand the costs. So, there is $19 for an intro session, $99 (with bulk discount) for reviews, and also 'credits (used for what?) and this information is scattered around different FAQ entries. When companies make me work to understand what I will need to pay, or worse (appear to?) not tell me until I have made an initial expenditure, then I become very wary.

Don't be ashamed of being upfront about costs. If you're worth it, then you're worth it. If you're not worth it for someone, then you will only get a bad rep by tricking them.

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