Rumor: The Policy and Procedure Manual sections regarding resignation and layoffs are being rewritten so the policies can be changed in time for an involuntary layoff.
Fact: There are many sections of the policy and procedure manual being rewritten to reflect the change to a new contract manager and new provisions under the contract. One such section is the resignation/layoff policy and procedures. However, any changes made to this section will not be applied to current workforce restructuring action plans. Should an involuntary layoff become necessary, it will continue to be based on skills, knowledge and abilities for the 200 job series; seniority for all other job classifications. An employee’s years of seniority did not change as a result of change in the contract manager.
Looks like seniority will play big for any involuntary layoff to come. That could be a good thing for many, but I'll assure you they'll find a way to get rid of the dead weight.
Fact: There are many sections of the policy and procedure manual being rewritten to reflect the change to a new contract manager and new provisions under the contract. One such section is the resignation/layoff policy and procedures. However, any changes made to this section will not be applied to current workforce restructuring action plans. Should an involuntary layoff become necessary, it will continue to be based on skills, knowledge and abilities for the 200 job series; seniority for all other job classifications. An employee’s years of seniority did not change as a result of change in the contract manager.
Looks like seniority will play big for any involuntary layoff to come. That could be a good thing for many, but I'll assure you they'll find a way to get rid of the dead weight.
Comments
You can rest assure that LLNS will dispose of those who have been poor performers, to lazy to find a job, refused to give it 100% and are probably those in the lower peer groups for all classification. It'll be the ones who should have been fired a long time ago but under UC they could not be touched. Well boys and girls, the rules have changed and your time has come. Gettalong little doggies, gettalong. You'll not be missed.
You obviously do not work at LLNL.
with many dedicated hard workers, few slackers, no obvious slackers.
Most problems here come from poor organizational design, poor management or refusing to admit reality, not poor workers.
If you know of one slacker, it comes from looking in the mirror.
31 years of excellent service
The poll around the water cooler is 2;1 that it will come this year.
What about next October (09), when NIF dumps 500-1000 very quickly?
Do we have a plan, ULM, or are we just going to pass out plaques and severance checks on one bad day?
Does anyone in the new misnamed HR organization of Lynn the Heartless care?
Does anyone trust HR anymore?
It will be fast but the hopes are that another group will absorb them and they not have to leave your organiztion. Of course that is the plan but if that plan should fail then you'd better be ready to go out the gate, since that's all there's going to be for a long time. ULM will have no choice but to show you the way. They are not going to keep you around just to say they did. You cost them money and it's money they don,t have and may never have. That being the case you become dead weight no matter how good you are.
"If you know of one slacker, it comes from looking in the mirror."
31 years of excellent service
Just because you have 31 at LLNL doesn't make you're a valuable employee. I know many of employee with 30 plus years at LLNL in very senior high paid position that were not and are not worth the powder to blow them to heck, nor have they done anything productive in the last 20 years. Then to add insult to injury, they got to those high paying positions with no degree which isn't all that important, but they got their because they couldn't hold their own against their peers; so LLNL ULM moved them to the next level of incompetence. Guess where that is? You got it. Management at the first line level where they now controlled your life. If you were a butt sniff and played pinochle with them every day at lunch you could make royally screw up's and still get moved up in ranking the next you. Who knowns, maybe you'd even become a seniors supervisor and make $30K more a year that someone who could do more in one day then the first line supervisor could do in a year; and he or she would still have to have someone else do the work for them. It's been a sad career at LLNL for me. I've had to watch first hand for 27 years this scenario played out and come to terms with the politics. Was I ever able to play the game. No. Did I suffer because of it, Yes. Do I understand the game and know why I am were I am in comparison. Yes. Do I have any regrets for being who I am. No. The good news is I will not change and I still disagree with the good old boy system. It's a system that needs to be abolished immediately.
My only hope is that I'm around long enough to watch LLNS keep the productive individuals and shows the dead weight the door very soon. Dead weight incudes all of those who made their way to the top by virtue of dishonesty, politics, hobnobbing and manipulating the system. There's a lot of trash to be dumped between now and 2010.
Ignoring for the moment the fact that I think you are exaggerating I need to point out something here. This is the way humans work. It is not unique to LLNL or any other institution. If you don't like to socialize, want to do your own thing even when the powers that be have decided on another course of action,etc then expect to be "undervalued".
It's one thing to be a conscious maverick. I may not agree with you, but at least I'll respect the fact that you are willing to stand up for your values and beliefs. But please don't expect me to be impressed by complaints of failed expectations that clearly do not have any basis in reality.
Checked the employee policy manual (see layoff section).
200's series is basically SKA
unless two employee have identical ska ... then by seniority between the two.
Non 200's employees are by seniority ... but they may
have exceptions.
Your values are most definitely in the wrong area and it's my hopes that management don't think the same way you do. If they do we're doomed.
I value getting the job don't not, butt sniffing your way to the top. Butt sniffing and politics are one in the same as far as I'm concerned and I'll assure you the world will not survive on that carp.
These two values need to be eradicated from ranking and by all means have no value at all.
Lest there was doubt, that was sarcasm.
Work hard, make sure people know what you are doing, voice your opinion but know when to shut up and be a team player. And don't expect your manager who has to keep track of a dozen or more people and do their own work to know what you are doing if you don't keep them in the loop. This is how you get recognized at LLNL or pretty much any place else for that matter. I don't understand why this is apparently such a mystery/surprise to some people.
"Ignoring for the moment the fact that I think you are exaggerating."
There was absolutely no exaggeration in my entry. I witnessed it myself. One clown makes $30K a year more than I do and couldn't wipe his butt without directions or in their case they'd need someone to do it for them and the other is now retired at 100% salary. The good new is "he got his" in the end. That almost was justice.
I could point out a few others who used the system such as these two, but I won't. I'll just never have any respect for anyone that gets promoted for being a Mr. or Mrs. politician. They're worthless pieces of crap.
The problem I have with that assessment is it isn't clear to me that you are qualified to judge what is and isn't valuable in a manager.
To be clear, I wouldn't claim that the lab is overflowing with great management. That is not the case. On the other hand, one reason lab management tends to be sub par is that most of us don't have a clue as to what a manager is supposed to do/be. We also lack insight into the difficulties of the job.
As for brown nosing, from observation it doesn't work nearly as well as you seem to claim. People tend to catch on in a few years.
Well said. People need to quit worrying about what the other guy is doing and focus on themselves. I read a lot of the former on this blog. Those who bemoan the achievements of others will never succeed rather they will languish in a their own self pitty.
Dead wrong!
Some higher ups never see through the charades, as long as their ego is continually
fed. Once, a manager picks their favorites, it is pretty much permanent, unless one of those favorites starts rocking the boat!