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Hasbro lays off nearly 20% of its workers

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Re: Hasbro lays off nearly 20% of its workers

#51

I have a hunch a lot of companies that layoff in December are also motivated by the bonus structure. Many companies structure their bonus pay around the new year in line with their fiscal calendar, either paying at the beginning of the year or entitling them to the bonus paid out later in the year.

Or health insurance reasons

Re: Hasbro lays off nearly 20% of its workers

#52
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if it's companies trying to inflate their year-end numbers to appease shareholders. I agree that it feels like more layoffs this month than I expected, but none of them are necessarily due to 'market conditions' per se, like the layoffs that happened at the end of last year and earlier this year. Spotify and Hasbro seem like they just made bad investments and focused on the wrong areas for their business and…

If a company provides a severance package, then a Dec layoff is almost certainly too late to have any impact on the bottom line.

I haven't looked at Hasbro, but the impression I've gotten is that fiscal years and calendar years rarely align for larger companies. No one wants to be spending the Christmas/New Year holidays working on end-of-year accounting.

Re: Hasbro lays off nearly 20% of its workers

#53
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps it's a case of improved forecasting/data methods. Hasbro knows already this holiday season will be disastrous for them apparently, and previously companies that needed the holiday season to make their numbers had to wait until after it ended to really make decisions.

They have known for a couple of months Christmas toy orders from retailers are done months in advance.

They will have to take returns from retailers if things aren't selling. Retail orders are half the battle for a company like Hasbro - the products still need to sell.

Re: Hasbro lays off nearly 20% of its workers

#54

Hasbro is essentially upside down, with huge losses across all their brands being subsidized by enormous growth from their subsidiary Wizards of the Coast. Even with that growth, they are significantly down. There was a big investor push recently (led by Alta Fox) to get Hasbro to spin WotC out into an independent company [0], which failed. The big concern being that forcing growth on those properties (Magic: the Gat…

The D&D movie is on Amazon Prime, and is probably the most fun movie I watched this year. I have zero knowledge or interest in D&D.

Call it poor marketing, or a concept that just didn't resonate with cover-judgers, but a common perception of it by those who didn't watch it is that it is a cash-in kid's B-movie. Some pap you get for free on a streaming service. Disappointing that perception exists.

Re: Hasbro lays off nearly 20% of its workers

#55
Is there a worse time of year to do layoffs than just before the holidays? Do they do it because their fiscal calendar is aligned to the … whatever you call the normal calendar? My company has its fiscal calendar about 5 months off from the normal calendar and while we have had layoffs, they have never happened at the holiday time.

Re: Hasbro lays off nearly 20% of its workers

#56
Laying off the workers at the toy factory two weeks before Christmas is the thing the villain in an 80s kids movie would do.

I don't mean that to be hyperbolic - like, literally, that's the sort of thing that was culturally cast as villainous behavior a generation or two ago.

Re: Hasbro lays off nearly 20% of its workers

#57

Hasbro is essentially upside down, with huge losses across all their brands being subsidized by enormous growth from their subsidiary Wizards of the Coast. Even with that growth, they are significantly down. There was a big investor push recently (led by Alta Fox) to get Hasbro to spin WotC out into an independent company [0], which failed. The big concern being that forcing growth on those properties (Magic: the Gat…

I think MtG and D&D have a lot of potential though.

My four year old son found a "search and find" D&D book for kids at the store, and it is now one of his favorite books. He loves the kid friendly D&D products, and will presumably continue to be a fan.

Unlike other huge IP franchises that are spear headed by a single set of characters or story, D&D has an enormous world with no single focus that makes it easily adaptable to various media and spin offs.

My son is now enthralled with the various dragons, monsters, and the idea of heroes looking for treasure. I hope they continue to make toys, games, minis and media for all age groups!

Re: Hasbro lays off nearly 20% of its workers

#58
post #9

My heart goes out to those affected. Thats very rough. I know this isn't directly related to the article at hand or anything either, but I feel like I'm seeing a real uptick in November / December layoffs. Is it just me or was it really not a thing companies did with such frequency around the holidays? I feel like its as much a shedding of costs as it is a flex of big business trying to show strength because they all…

I am still taken aback when they do these holiday layoffs. My employer (Nextdoor) cut 25% of the company in November, and it's hard not to see the timing as a particularly brutal power play.

I hope that people will remember the callousness that these employers show when talk of unionization/worker's rights happens again.

Re: Hasbro lays off nearly 20% of its workers

#59

Hasbro is essentially upside down, with huge losses across all their brands being subsidized by enormous growth from their subsidiary Wizards of the Coast. Even with that growth, they are significantly down. There was a big investor push recently (led by Alta Fox) to get Hasbro to spin WotC out into an independent company [0], which failed. The big concern being that forcing growth on those properties (Magic: the Gat…

The D&D movie is on Amazon Prime, and is probably the most fun movie I watched this year. I have zero knowledge or interest in D&D.

Warning: There is more than one “D&D Movie”: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dungeons_%26_Drag...>

According to most people, the one from 2023 is the good one.

Re: Hasbro lays off nearly 20% of its workers

#60

Getting laid off in December is tough. But it's better than getting laid off in January after coming back to work from holidays, with plans for the year ahead. At least this way, folks can recuperate with their family, and then hit the job market in January. Or do others disagree?

I disagree. I was laid off at holiday time decades ago. That year we had nothing for the kids for Christmas and the holidays were incredibly stressful. I can’t think of a worse time for layoffs.
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