Reduction in force. It just means laid off.
I haven’t heard that one before. Another vague dehumanizing acronym!
Look, there’s nothing dehumanizing about culling the workforce to reduce headcount. I really don’t know where you’re getting that idea.
I meant the (new to me) acronym. I mean it’s not as bad as “right-sizing”
When I was a kid it meant Reading is Fundamental.
Reading your layoff notice is fundamental. Sigh.
I was around for the 2009 round of layoffs Denny mentioned above, RIF is one of those boogeyman terms that always got thrown around. I guess it’s just big tech companies that feel the need to make their own terminology for an age-old practice.
Well that’s depressing.
They use it in education too. My wife was “Riffed” back in 2012.
I hit a Bingo almost every day on that, but it’s still hilarious!
I don’t see “synergy” or “thinking outside the box” or “disruptive” on that bingo card, have those passed out of favor?
I still use all the above, but maybe I’m just old.
I’m missing Rightsizing.
Funny how yesterday I talked about the extended RIF period like it was recognized as a stupid and terrible way to lay people off, and that the company wouldn’t make that kind of mistake again. Whoops.
So far one person I know got hit. He’s been miserable for years working on unexciting projects, though, so as long as he can land a comparable position in the current challenging environment, I have to think he’ll be glad he got the severance/time off/change in the long term. Still feels shitty to him, I’m sure, to be sent packing after 15 years.
Good play on words lol
Maybe they should have gone with “reaping”
Yeah, last year I read about companies in the tech sector who were hiring people they didn’t even need… they were basically hoarding engineers, because everyone was saying that it was hard to get engineers. That may be contributing to this round of layoffs from some of the bigs.
They had to do all that hiring - if they hadnt they would have to get rid of actually valuable people in the layoffs which they have to announce now to please the markets taps head
My wife works for A Large American Company & I know they RIF the “lowest performing” people every year.
Myself, I’ve never at a company that had much ‘play’ in headcount. We’re almost always shorthanded or busy outsourcing.