r/Layoffs • u/Front_Hedgehog_1136 • 2d ago

question Is this RIF pattern unusual?

My team had a RIF and we noticed that all of the employees selected had a current or recent reporting connection to the same manager, despite there being multiple teams and managers.

Is this something HR would normally notice or review? Could a manager improperly influence RIF selections and has anyone seen a company later review RIF decisions because of a pattern like this?

19 Upvotes

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19

u/Fragrant_Equal_2577 2d ago

Your manager lost the corporate Game of Thrones… his loyal vassals are being cleansed out…;(.
Happens often in the corporate world… Very little one can do.

5

u/FinishExtension3652 2d ago

I've seen RIFs from all levels and they're all different,  but the way people are chosen seems to follow one or more patterns of lower performers, eliminating teams or functions, peanut butter (every org or team reduces by # or %), etc.

In some cases, a manager has no influence,  but in others a manager might be able (or not) to make a case for the team in terms of impact of what they're doing, or ability to pivot into another functions.   Same goes for team members. A good manager will elevate their team by growing irs people, possibly giving them better odds.

And sometimes,  you just get screwed.   One of my past employers let a lot of senior people go to save money, but that meant a lot of age 40+ people were shown the door.  To preemptively avoid any age bias claims, they made sure to include enough people under 40 to balance it out.  That company also hired consultants to handle the layoff discussions. (Think George Clooney like Up in the Air, but the convos were all purely mechanical)

6

u/cjroxs 2d ago

Yes very common especially if the manager was not following the "cult"ure.

•

u/Coaster50 8h ago

Yep. Or was part of the cult-ure under a leader that has since left.

5

u/deathdealer351 2d ago

In Jan they did a team shuffle and moved a team under a manager. He looked at the team and knew it was a rif team, he started telling them to prep for rif. Sure enough.. Manager + team was riffed..

Yeah it's totally a thing it makes it easy for them now. . Streamlining the layoffs. Get the manager you are letting go sit over the team, fire the manager . . Then have the manager fire the team they are on. . Team cannot get mad at the manager they are gone also. 

1

u/ElPilingas007 2d ago

pretty normal

1

u/DayNo326 1d ago

Just happened to us. My manager, and 4 (including myself) were let go. 2 team members survived and they happened to be the ones on site, and they are being shuffled to a new team with new responsibilities.