Live data from Hacker News

Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

reuters.com

21–30 of 199 posts

Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#21

These people seem out of touch. > "It has been difficult for those involved. We have a redundancy process for a reason, so that employees can make their voice heard," they said. "But it feels as if our concerns have fallen on deaf ears." They’re doing layoffs. In what scenario does negative feedback from employees change the minds of management? “Oh shit we didn’t know this negatively impacted you all. My bad.”

It isn't negative feedback. It is an organized process established in the UK for handling layoffs. The UK workers didn't just say "don't fire us." They offered a ton of different options that, based on actual data, would have produced the same savings as the proposed layoffs. These included things like voluntary layoffs. All of these proposals were rejected.

It sucks to have a corporation say "okay we'll have a discussion and come to a solution that achieves our goals while also maximizing your goals" and then turn around and say "nah, we are just going to do it our way with no changes."

In the US there are little protections so the company just gets to say "you are all fired" but the policies are supposed to be different in some other countries. Since the end result was that Google just picks however they want it feels like crap that the UK folks had to wait 2.5 months to figure out who was going to be fired with no influence at all in the process.

Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#22

These people seem out of touch. > "It has been difficult for those involved. We have a redundancy process for a reason, so that employees can make their voice heard," they said. "But it feels as if our concerns have fallen on deaf ears." They’re doing layoffs. In what scenario does negative feedback from employees change the minds of management? “Oh shit we didn’t know this negatively impacted you all. My bad.”

There's a specific process: https://www.gov.uk/redundancy-your-rights/consultation - plenty of opportunities for disputes to arise. We can trust the union will want to make a fuss, and Google will want the opposite, but the article is a bit light on details.

I can't imagine many development staff would be in a union? - though maybe some are. And even if not, some might be sympathetic if Google are being a bit careless about their legal obligations to the people being made redundant.

Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#23

These people seem out of touch. > "It has been difficult for those involved. We have a redundancy process for a reason, so that employees can make their voice heard," they said. "But it feels as if our concerns have fallen on deaf ears." They’re doing layoffs. In what scenario does negative feedback from employees change the minds of management? “Oh shit we didn’t know this negatively impacted you all. My bad.”

[deleted]

Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#24

These people seem out of touch. > "It has been difficult for those involved. We have a redundancy process for a reason, so that employees can make their voice heard," they said. "But it feels as if our concerns have fallen on deaf ears." They’re doing layoffs. In what scenario does negative feedback from employees change the minds of management? “Oh shit we didn’t know this negatively impacted you all. My bad.”

Instead of 'walking out', how about they get a new job? Thats the ultimate form of protest. Google employees have been told for years that they are the smartest people in the world. The puff pieces on Business Insider and major news outlets saying its harder to get a job at NASA or get accepted into MIT have really inflated these peoples egos. Lots of normal and low ego people at Google, but the place certainly radiates snobbery.

Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#25

These people seem out of touch. > "It has been difficult for those involved. We have a redundancy process for a reason, so that employees can make their voice heard," they said. "But it feels as if our concerns have fallen on deaf ears." They’re doing layoffs. In what scenario does negative feedback from employees change the minds of management? “Oh shit we didn’t know this negatively impacted you all. My bad.”

The laws is that there is a consultation period, this is so that the company can listen to other ways of resolving the problem.

Of course, the companies just pay lip service to this.

Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#26
Engineers not affected, again /s

The realization that the decade long near zero interest rate and quantative easing experiment is now a thing of the past with the market correcting off of that overhiring Covid mania.

The tiniest violin for those walking the plank.

Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#27
post #24

These people seem out of touch. > "It has been difficult for those involved. We have a redundancy process for a reason, so that employees can make their voice heard," they said. "But it feels as if our concerns have fallen on deaf ears." They’re doing layoffs. In what scenario does negative feedback from employees change the minds of management? “Oh shit we didn’t know this negatively impacted you all. My bad.”

Instead of 'walking out', how about they get a new job? Thats the ultimate form of protest. Google employees have been told for years that they are the smartest people in the world. The puff pieces on Business Insider and major news outlets saying its harder to get a job at NASA or get accepted into MIT have really inflated these peoples egos. Lots of normal and low ego people at Google, but the place certainly radia…

This is a ridiculous thing to say when the market will be saturated since all companies are letting people go.

They are walking out because unlike the US there is a process to this, the company is supposed to listen when it's employees make alternative suggestions to save costs.

Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#28
post #4

An effective strategy to avoid layoffs at European offices is to cause just enough friction to get HR to give up and divert the firing to lower-rights countries (i.e. USA).

In the UK, there is nothing they can do against layoffs.

The only thing is that if the planned layoffs impact more than 20 people (from memory) there must be a consultation. This only makes the process one month longer.

I am also expecting that Google is paying more than the legal minimum to laid off people, which is really the only thing worth trying to negotiate.

Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#29
post #27
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Instead of 'walking out', how about they get a new job? Thats the ultimate form of protest. Google employees have been told for years that they are the smartest people in the world. The puff pieces on Business Insider and major news outlets saying its harder to get a job at NASA or get accepted into MIT have really inflated these peoples egos. Lots of normal and low ego people at Google, but the place certainly radia…

This is a ridiculous thing to say when the market will be saturated since all companies are letting people go. They are walking out because unlike the US there is a process to this, the company is supposed to listen when it's employees make alternative suggestions to save costs.

The market is far from being saturated, plenty of places are hiring. Just not at crazy wages.

Companies are now correcting the overhiring spree they did in the pandemic boom.

Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#30
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wise words for sure. That sports car is almost never as rewarding as you think it'll be, but not stressing about money surely is.

The cost of a sports/luxury car seems reasonable, esp for a high income earner, maybe 30-50% more than something more modest. But the upkeep is literally insane. A brake job on an Audi can cost 3-4x that of a Honda. Oil changes can be 2-3x.

And it loses value at a pace like nothing else you own. It’s a wealth sink.
Post reply on HN