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On Monday, February 12th, Barnes & Noble fired a number of employees.
From CNBC:
Barnes & Noble is trimming its staff, laying off lead cashiers, digital leads and other experienced workers in a company-wide clearing, CNBC has learned from sources familiar with the matter.
The news came abruptly for many workers who showed up Monday morning at various Barnes & Noble locations to be notified that they no longer had a job, the people said. The number of affected workers couldn't immediately be determined. As of April 29 of last year, Barnes & Noble employed about 26,000 people.
"[Barnes & Noble] has been reviewing all aspects of the business, including our labor model," a spokeswoman told CNBC about the layoffs. "Given our sales decline this holiday, we're adjusting staffing so that it meets the needs of our existing business and our customers. As the business improves, we'll adjust accordingly."
From The Digital Reader:
The initial report said B&N had fired "lead cashiers, digital leads, and other experienced workers", but what that report missed - and why this was worth bringing up a day later - was that B&N also fired nearly all of its receiving managers in what current and ex-employees are calling Bloody Monday.
[...] When B&N fires a digital sales lead, it means they'll sell fewer Nooks. This is no big deal given how B&N's digital revenues have fallen since 2013. When B&N fires a head cashier, it means you're in for longer waits at the register.
But when B&N fires its receiving managers, it means that B&N won't have the merchandise to sell you because the person who was responsible for making sure shelves get stocked does not work there any more.
Previously: Barnes & Noble Reports Holiday Revenues Down
Barnes & Noble Pivots to Books
(Score: 2) by pkrasimirov on Wednesday February 14 2018, @06:27PM (15 children)
> The news came abruptly for many workers who showed up Monday morning at various Barnes & Noble locations to be notified that they no longer had a job, the people said.
Is that common practice in USA? In EU we have to get notice period.
(Score: 5, Informative) by insanumingenium on Wednesday February 14 2018, @06:30PM
Yeah, pretty common here. Many states have laws specifically saying they can terminate employment at any time totally without reason. I wonder why we spend so much on welfare and "unemployment insurance"?
(Score: 2, Informative) by tftp on Wednesday February 14 2018, @06:44PM (4 children)
(Score: 3, Touché) by pkrasimirov on Wednesday February 14 2018, @07:04PM (3 children)
I was always wondering how and why people in EU can do it without such security guards. I'm sure it's not the difference between the people, anybody fired will not like it and most likely be angry. Once I almost had the problem I cannot print my CV for the next job because my account was deactivated. I asked a colleague and he printed it for me.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Wednesday February 14 2018, @07:27PM (1 child)
Once I almost had the problem I cannot print my CV for the next job because my account was deactivated. I asked a colleague and he printed it for me.
You don't have your own printer? You can get one for less than $50 these days. You can even get a laser printer for $50 now. Or you can go to a place like an office-supply store and pay to print it there.
(Score: 4, Informative) by pkrasimirov on Wednesday February 14 2018, @07:34PM
It wasn't these days.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by bzipitidoo on Wednesday February 14 2018, @09:40PM
America is harsh that way, and it's very much purposeful. It fits with the state religion, aka the Protestant Work Ethic. Work is virtuous. Unemployed people are losers and slackers who deserve being kicked out of their homes for being unable to pay the mortgage. Some are prone to think that God is punishing them for some horrible sins they've committed, like tolerating homosexuality or interracial dating or some such. In the US, being unemployed is extremely shameful, no matter the circumstances, no matter how much it totally isn't the fault of the former employer. The extreme importance everyone places on employment is also why the whole show with security escorting terminated employees off the premises. If you feel like you've lost everything and you're going to starve, what more have you got to lose? You get into a wild mood of despair, why not sabotage your former employer on the way out? It's not true, but being terminated is so traumatic that many do feel that way. And employers kind of like it that way! You may as well be handcuffed as if you're a criminal, that's how bad being fired in America is.
It's another demonstration of how much power employers have vs employees, that they can pull a stunt like not even giving their terminated employees the courtesy of informing them before they waste time and gas driving to a job they no longer have, let alone giving them 2 weeks notice, a courtesy that is so routinely ignored it's nothing more than a sick joke. They keep us living in fear that we'll lose our jobs, and we are expected to be grateful to have work, and to suck up nearly any kind of indignity or insult for the sake of that paycheck.
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Wednesday February 14 2018, @07:00PM (5 children)
It is not uncommon when one is let go that the termination is effective immediately, but a reputation-conscious business will pay the departing employee a sum of termination pay over and above what is owed for hours of working. How much depends on your position and the business' desire to have ex-employee good will. Minimum 2 weeks, maximum 3 months is usual for places that do this at all. Many do not.
This sig for rent.
(Score: 2) by pkrasimirov on Wednesday February 14 2018, @07:11PM (3 children)
Best I've seen here they arrange it as mutual agreement. You don't get fired, you get the said money (usually notice period +1 month salary) and you quit effective tomorrow. Spares much of the angry feelings as well. Downside is you cannot go ask for unemployment compensation (depends on the country actually) but usually that would be less than what you get now, and you have the (paid) free time to go job searching immediately.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Wednesday February 14 2018, @07:30PM (2 children)
Yep, my whole team at one company was laid off in one fell swoop (except for one guy who was kept a little while to clean things up), and while we were sent away pretty quickly and not allowed to log in, we were given IIRC 3 months' severance pay, so it was a good amount of time to go look for a new job without any financial hardship. That company was pretty poorly run (as far as decision-making; they were stupid to throw away this team and leave the market for the product we were working on), but they handled lay-offs nicely all things considered.
(Score: 2) by Sourcery42 on Wednesday February 14 2018, @08:29PM (1 child)
I've seen this work out really good for someone once. We were working at a place that was shutting down. Everyone knew the headcount reduction was imminent, and almost everyone was looking for another job. First thing in the morning one coworker is telling me about how he's accepted another job. He's about to put in his two weeks notice, resignation letter in his pocket. Before we even finish the conversation everyone gets rounded up into the big conference room, and about half of us found out it was our last day. Everyone who was let go got 6 months severance pay. His eyes lit up when he heard that (they were cheap bastards - it was pretty surprising). He caught me after the meeting and swore me to secrecy about his new job to not jeopardize getting that severance package. Bad deal for most everyone, but it played right into his hands.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Wednesday February 14 2018, @08:56PM
Yep, it was a little like that with my job too: we all knew the axe was going to fall, we just didn't know when. I wasn't as proactive as your coworker, but when I got my severance, I found a new (and higher-paying, but longer commute) job within a month.
(Score: 3, Informative) by tonyPick on Thursday February 15 2018, @08:29AM
IME it isn't uncommon in the UK tech/finance/etc for people to be technically employed, but told not to show up during the notice period: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_leave [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by nobu_the_bard on Wednesday February 14 2018, @08:18PM
It is very common. I've seen people try to be "nice" about firings and give prior notice, or even allow people to clean out their own desk, but it's been 50/50 if the departing employee causes trouble (stealing client data, defacing property, rolling back databases, deleting backups, etc).
In one particular case, the departing employee was crying and carrying on, so the employer felt bad about it and let him clean out his desk "with dignity" and telling nobody, including IT. The employee walked out with the backup drives (he had a passcode) after deleting the client database (admin credentials), then vanished. IT didn't learn about it until the following day when overnight backups failed. Nobody has heard from the guy since or knows where he is (missing person)... I suspect he just hit the road headed out west after dumping the drives somewhere...
It's easier to just not give them the opportunity rather than try to deal with them after the fact. It's hard to know who will do what beforehand.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday February 15 2018, @12:26AM (1 child)
In Ontario, Canada, you can be fired immediately, but you have to give severance pay, worth X number of weeks (years?) worked up to a certain amount....if they wanted to get rid of me, it would cost A LOT (but my boss loves me!).
Canada...a more sane country, lol.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 15 2018, @07:23AM
You only need 2 week notice. For anything more, you need to have something in your contract. You should read your contract and keep it close ;)