#worklifebalance

Let that number really sink in. I always rolled my eyes when people told me to "just be happy you have a job" while I was complaining about all the issues we face day to day, but seeing numbers like this makes me understand, at least a little, why they say that.

This is not getting better. Time to get out and cut your losses. Nothing is going to change for the better. They have had their chances to do this. Never happened.

At least over the Christmas / New Years holiday you have time to retool and reassess what you want to do.

There is no logical reason under the sun to stay here. Because sooner or later you will be affected and simply be a casualty of this industry.

Make the decision to leave, your decision not theirs. At least you get out with that decency.

Not the place to be guys. Times up totally. The writing has been on the walls for a long time. Sometimes it just takes someone to tell you to read what was written and understand it.

No gold medals for staying here. Just swift kick in the head with an iron boot.

Discussing a potential offer with a recruiter for a 3 days in office role. It is in Dallas. Can this role eventually become 5 days ? That’s a deal breaker.

Mostly because of special circumstances, which I know the vast majority don’t enjoy. I get that it would be a blow to most people. In my case, I’m close enough to the base that commuting isn’t an issue. One perk of coming back to the d-mb office? I fully intend to never, absolutely never, be available outside office hours. People forget WFH flexibility cuts both ways. That is, of course, assuming my job isn’t merrily eliminated before I even get to enjoy the fresh air and tranquil office environment.

Is this everywhere?

Got laid off earlier this year and initially felt like the rug was pulled from under me. After months of grinding job-search, I landed a more flexible, less stressful gig. Fewer perks, but more time with family, less pressure, better work-life balance. I won’t say I’m totally healed, but some part of me feels like I’m finally breathing again.

With all the uncertainty, my productivity was lower than ever. It wasn't even intentional, I just couldn't concentrate on work.

No dedicated employee deserves to have their job threatened on a consistent basis for a year or longer. Leave them, they have no loyalty to you. There are better jobs. I went back to an old employer and I'm so happy again. I was miserable worrying over job security. Start looking at other companies and jump ship. Your mental and physical health will benefit. They don't care about you anymore and we all know they don't care about the customers. They are just focused on lining their pockets. Best of luck to you. You are worthy of an employer who values you.

Most Spring employees between the age of 40 and 55 are dead weights and holding onto a capsizing vessel for their dear life as they know that they cannot find any other job and ExxonMobil is the only place where their BS existence gets tolerated.

If the company fires each and everyone of them, it will not make any difference. Most have been rotten by the poor core culture by working under toxic reward conditions once they have worked more than 5-10 years. It is a point of no recovery.

Those who worry about BTC, let's be clear.... BTC only recruits the worst and from the bottom of the Indian talent pool. Do not expect virtue from that place. Only expect grinning yes men and women who will do anything to get your or anyones money in their pocket.

Principles do not matter to both these classes. Virtue is an unknown word and greed is the only motivation.

Enjoy your weekend everyone and come Monday may the odds be ever in your favor! For the survivors make sure you add on at least 2 peoples work load to your overstuffed plate to help your work life balance! Toxic wasteland!!

So I went to my morning meeting. We all joined. Some were still waking up (west coast) and others had already consumed multiple cups of coffee.
"good morning!" said the scrum master.
"mmmmm" said we all.
"OK so we are going to go through the tickets now and start with you, Bob"
Ummm...OK so I'm not Bob, but I have to say, I started multitasking right away. Why you say? Well because what Bob does has nothing to do with what I do. In fact, all members of the team work on different things that really don't overlap.
But wait! We need Agile! Agile will improve lead time, cycle time, WIP, and other things (unmentionables)
In this team, nope. No one cares. Each is in their own world. Step back say 5 years, and everyone was trying to help. We all crossed lines. Now? Nope, all I care about is my tickets and their due dates.
So now we have a scrum master, a product owner, a manager, and then.....the rest of us. So we went from our manager (one person) to now 3 people all trying to manage the rest of us. And, did I mention, 4 of 7 got laid off? So now 3 of us are being managed by 3 new bosses to get more done with less.

This is the WF implementation of Agile. Read it and weep.......

Is block scheduling going away ?

Just FYI- pregnancy is a valid reason for an in-office exemption. It's called an "accommodation request" and extremely easy to submit the form. I submitted the form at 3pm and I was called the next day at 7:30am and it was approved by 9am and took effect immediately.

Even though I'm still employed, the constant wave of cuts keeps my nerves high all the time. It's really hard to shake the idea that I’m next. Saving aggressively and keeping my resume ready has now become routine. Strange how normal this mentality feels now.

So no Christmas tree, no Menorah, no Kwanzaa decorations. Just a random reindeer and sticks with lights and poinsettias.
I guess we don’t want to offend anyone.

Anyone’s guess how much money has been spent on constantly renovating corporate over and over again? And why? Everyone hates going into the office.

As an homage to all FiServants who are sl@ving away this holiday season I wrote y'all a poem:

A FiServant drags through the halls where joy becomes “out of scope,”
Holiday cheer gets audited, repackaged, and shipped out with no hope.
The tree looks like it’s begging for someone to pull the plug, too,
Even the ornaments whisper, “You deserve someplace new.”

Happy Holidays and remember you are more than this job...

Working at Walmart is a better job than working at mondelez

So one of my close friends is a manager and he showed me what he sees: how many days per week in the office and total hours per day in the office (badge in/out or network connection, he is not sure know how the hours are actually being tracked). Well the report is very real saw it with my own eyes.

Chevron is a great company to work for if you want to impress others with your résumé. Do not work for Chevron if you want job satisfaction. You are not a human. You are just a number and you are disposable when they want to pay the stockholders more. Great company to invest your money in, but definitely not your time as an employee. My time here will only be as long as it takes me to secure a better position elsewhere.

I think every single one of us should be doing it.

And when? I'd like to see how things have changed over the years.

I met him here before his 2023 layoff, and we ended up staying close even after he found a new job, only to get hit with another layoff six months later. He bounced back again and landed something new, and now he's been cut for the third time this week. He's living my greatest nightmare. How do you even deal with something like that? There's something deeply broken in the way this whole system works.

✊ Key Reasons for Tech Unionization
Tech workers are increasingly turning to collective action to address several core issues:
• Job Security and Layoffs: Despite being highly profitable, the tech industry is prone to volatile labor markets, resulting in large-scale and often sudden layoffs. Unions are sought after as a safeguard for fairness, transparency, and long-term stability in a capricious industry.
• Burnout and Work-Life Balance: The "move fast" ethos of many tech companies often leads to extended work hours and burnout. Workers are unionizing to advocate for better work-life balance and reasonable working hours, challenging exploitative work conditions.
• Wages, Benefits, and Transparency: While some tech salaries are high, the industry features significant pay disparities and occupational segregation (e.g., between core employees and contractors). Unions work to improve compensation, ensure equal pay for equal work, and establish open and fair processes for promotions and pay decisions.
• Ethical and Social Issues: Unlike traditional labor movements focused solely on working conditions, 21st-century tech unionization is often driven by a desire for a voice in company decisions regarding ethics and the societal impact of their technology, such as the use of AI in surveillance, military projects, or other contracts.
*
• Workplace Democracy and Accountability: Unions provide a mechanism for workers to democratize the workplace, giving them a meaningful say in decisions that affect their daily work, and holding management accountable for issues like discrimination, harassment, and lack of diversity.
• Impact of AI and Automation: As companies deploy increasingly sophisticated AI-enhanced technologies for monitoring, evaluating, and potentially displacing workers, unions are seen as a powerful tool to ensure workers are included in the design and implementation of AI to protect their job quality and rights.
📈 Changing Perceptions
The old narrative of the "pampered tech worker" is eroding, leading many, including mid-career engineers, to reevaluate unions not as a hindrance to innovation, but as a necessary tool to establish fairness, transparency, and a sustainable work environment. Tech workers are realizing that their collective power is necessary to secure their rights and ensure their expertise is used for equitable and beneficial purposes.

So, now that the limitations have been lifted, now that we've started minting money, would it be possible for the execs to stop playing games with us and just pay severance pay for the roles they no longer need? They may as well stop to overwork us, make us work insane hours, play games and give us fake write ups just to make us quit. Sooo.... Pay severance and let's part ways.

Interesting - folks posting within minutes after CW and MD announcements. Nothing else to do? Like do your work?

Friends at Fannie said they got new company holidays - December 24 and 26.

3 years ago when I interviewed here I was told very explicitly overtime was optional but apparently I am not meeting expectations because I’m not working enough overtime/holidays?? I guess it’s a wrap for me.

Management supposedly just wants to see how long it takes employees to work a case, however, there are 35 (YES THIRTY-FIVE) different task codes to choose from, including lunch/breaks AND Other, in which a comment is required. Looks like every single minute of our day has to be accounted for. I am so done with this place! Not like we aren’t doing our work, just certain times of the month are busier than others but we always get our work done.

An email came out today stating that all Tampa employees will now require to go to the office 3 days per week (instead of 2 days) starting on January 20, 2026. I guess they want more people to leave on their own.

It says "Set your holiday status. Need to run to the oven to get your holiday prep ready? let your team know!".

So are they encouraging us to take care of personal errands at work?

Our annual shutdown will take place from December 25, 2025, through January 2, 2026, with a Day for Me on December 26, 2025. This time away gives us a chance to recharge and focus on what matters most — you and your family. The shutdown also helps Cisco reduce its carbon footprint, saving more than $6 million in energy costs and 22,500 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the past seven years.

The shutdown also helps Cisco reduce its carbon footprint, saving more than $6 million in energy costs and 22,500 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the past seven years.

CISCO forcing everyone to burn AI token for every stupid tasks using 1k tools at the same time is very concerned about footprint haha

https://fortune.com/2025/11/30/cisco-chief-product-officer-jeetu-patel-work-life-balance-not-equal-two-exceptions-for-success/

Maybe someone should inform him that you get a "E" for Effort and an "A" for Achievement. No one cares how long you work! At his level, results matter, not time on the clock.

If Dallas is 5 x 8, how are you managing kids pickup and drop off at schools. Don’t your spouses work or are you having to cut short work? At this time I am thinking ATL is better as it is still 3 x 8

Hot off the presses: If you don’t hit your quota AND you aren’t hitting 80% metrics with the “modern selling tools” (namely SalesChat), you are put on a “coaching plan”…. AKA PIP.

So dystopian. I’ve hit my number every quarter over the past four years, but I guess that doesn’t matter. I guess I am being paid to use the $hitty half baked AI tools instead of to close business & spend time with customers.

I’m no fool. Dell will unrealistically quadruple my quota and then rejoice as it opens up a means to cut me w/o severance. Yay for OPEX reduction!

I will admit: these AI tools are great for less experienced folks, but more tenured individuals don’t need to use the tools as much as the metrics they are setting. They do not replace experience. Dell is definitely going to overrate here and expect a freshie out of college to have the same production as me with glorious sAlEsChAT at their side.

This place is going down quicker than the titanic, and I’m enjoying watching while I quite quit and manipulate the metrics.

i read that there are some occupational restrictions on this, does this affect the compressed shift hourly workers in the factory, if so thats great news!

Everyone here might want to check their hours submitted by HR for your holiday pay.

If you did not receive a full 8 hours, it is because they changed how it is calculated, they now calculate your average hours worked over the last 8 weeks and divide it by your number of shifts.

As a lowly technician with 25 years, this is the best time of year to work at this place. Most of the middle management is on vacation, we work on important things that have to be fixed right now, but the everyday micromanaging bullsh-t has disappeared until January 1st. I can come to work, do my job, fix things that are important andhave a stress free day. Thanks to all the managers whose absence makes this place better……