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Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

reuters.com

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Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#81

Post by charlieyu1 »

VikingCoder wrote: post #44
gruez wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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. What were the specific list of proposals? The only one you mentioned (voluntary layoffs) is a bad idea because it leads the most talented people to leave.

You know what else leads to the most talented people to leave? When the company stops listening to the employees.

Keeping deadweights leads to most talented people leaving.

Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#82

Post by hiddencost »

nonethewiser wrote: post #12

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.”

In the situation where the workers refuse to work en masse. It's called a strike. They're quite common.

Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#84

Post by cmiles74 »

mytailorisrich wrote: post #71
danpalmer wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There have been several layers to the criticism. The first is roughly why does a company with many billions in the bank need to lay off anyone. However, assuming that layoffs do need to happen, there has been a lot more criticism of how they were conducted. In the UK there is, in summary, a right to a fair process – where _roles_ are eliminated, not _people_. That when there aren't enough roles for the people left, t…

> The first is roughly why does a company with many billions in the bank need to lay off anyone. I suppose for the same reason as even if you have money in the bank I'm sure that you don't keep subscriptions and running costs that you've determined are no use to you or you think are not worth it.

When I cancel a subscription to Disney+, no one loses their job. I think that's an important distinction.

Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#86

Post by ExoticPearTree »

newswasboring wrote: post #49
version_five wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The first is roughly why does a company with many billions in the bank need to lay off anyone. This shows an utter misunderstanding of how businesses or finances of any kind work and would completely discredit anyone who tried to use it as an argument.

Can you elaborate on your statement for dummies? (Only if your argument isn't companies exist only to maximize profit, that one I understand and reject).

> Only if your argument isn't companies exist only to maximize profit, that one I understand and reject

The fact that you do not like reality doesn't make it less real.

Companies are created to make money for founders and investors. And if they need to shed load to make those people more money, this is how it is going to be. You can always boycott Google and use/buy any of their products if it makes you feel any better about them firing people.

Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#87

Post by robswc »

sklargh wrote: 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).

It seems an especially bad time to signal to companies that investing and innovating in Europe is more difficult.

Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#88

Post by pm90 »

fsniper wrote: post #78

It's strange to see US based workers to bash on Europe based workers who push back for their rights. Even if you don't see any "rights" to fight back, isn't it to your own benefit that someone else is fighting for more rights/better conditions? Why would you sit back and accept to be the scapegoat for conditions that you didn't cause or you didn't have any say over at the first place? The companies are laying of peop…

I’ve heard it described as “Americans think of themselves as temporary poor future billionaires”. Not all Americans, but this is why you see so many simping for the rich even when its not in their own interests.

Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#89

Post by ChuckNorris89 »

UncleMeat wrote: post #67
gruez wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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. What were the specific list of proposals? The only one you mentioned (voluntary layoffs) is a bad idea because it leads the most talented people to leave.

It may be a worse idea for the company (though I'm not sure - the US layoffs weren't based on performance). But, as far as I can tell, the response has not been "these suggestions are unacceptable for reasons X, Y, and Z, please propose additional suggestions" but instead has been "nah, we are just gonna do what we want." I am blending the Zurich case with the UK case in my mind, though. There's a lot to keep track o…

>I am blending the Zurich case

DO you have any information on the Zurich case? I'm not aware of any layoffs there.

Re: Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

#90

Post by jwestbury »

voidfunc wrote: post #62
gruez wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The first is roughly why does a company with many billions in the bank need to lay off anyone. because it's a for-profit company, not a jobs program.

The entitlement is off the charts. People have completely lost perspective on how money is made and where they fit into the money making machine.

Counter-point: The money-making machine exists to serve people, not the other way around.
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