The Troll wonders if...

The Troll wonders if getting laid off now is the best case scenerio for S employees. Each individual case is different, but lets do some analysis. To answer this question objectively, one has to look at the future of the company. Despite being flush with cash at the moment, Sprint cannot sustain it's current level of suscription losses through 2010. Large debt payments come due at that time and the current cutbacks may not be enough to prevent Chap 11. But the Troll isn't telling you anything you don't already know. So let's dig a little deeper. What happens if S goes into bankruptcy? Severance packages will be cut drastically and no bonuses paid. Who stands most to lose?...you guessed it. The fat cat cowards. They are entitled to at least 1 year severance and 80% of their STI regardless of company performance (and their STI targets are huge!). So what are the fat cat cowards doing? Let's see, Mr. Hesse renogtiated his contract to get more cash upfront. KW took her package now. Let's not forget she was an HR person before becoming chief "engineer" and surely understands what she has to lose should S go belly up. Don't be suprised if more execs start running for the hills. Of course the company will spin this as the fashionable catch phrase of the day, "change". But we now know the real reason! Surely the execs, I mean cowards, believe there is a significant risk of bankruptcy and those who remain will want to keep it afloat long enough to find a buyer. Hence, the desperate pricing plans...boost $50 unlimited plan, nextel business plans, and don't be suprised if you see the $99 plan come down another 20%. Nevermind what this does to S long-term ARPU. The goal is generate cash now. The Pre will help very little. The new gadget phase is at the end of it's lifecycle. Now it's all about device applications and the Pre is two years behind Apple and Google. Once again dumb S execs are behind the rest of the industry. To summarize, S will continue to lose customers in droves, the cowards will try to do anything and everything to stave off bankruptcy, S will run out of cash by end of 2010. Back to you...what should you do? You may consider yourself lucky to make the cut. But if you have a significant severance coming to you, there is a risk of losing much of it in Chap 11. Also, if you are outsourced to a contractor, you are faced with a similar scenerio. You may be able to keep a job for one year, but aferward all bets are off. And, as long as the contractor pays you up to 90% of your salary (including STI target...keep that in mind when the time comes), you are not allowed to turn it down and claim severance benefits. To summarize (again), is it worth to stick around, take on extra work, not get an increase, get limited STI, and potentially risk a majority of your sev package? It's a personal decision; times are tough. One thing we know for certain. The cowards are not going to look after you. Do what's best for you and don't look back. Best of luck, the Troll.

Hello Folks, this is the Troll

Hello Folks, this is the Troll. I will be enlightening you in the coming weeks on this blog as to the way of the world in S. First thing to know is that upper management and BOD at S are cowards. How many of the employees out there are being told about what a great job you're doing? Well, if all doing such a great job, then management must really be screwing up. But who do they fire when the going gets tough? You the employee. Sure, they'll let go of a vp here and there as a show of unity. But look at the tenure of the VPs and Directors. They've been around FOREVER. And most are DUMB! and get paid a lot of money for being dumb. Has anyone looked at S severence policy lately? When a Director or VP get let go, they get 80% of their STI target. Plus, VP's get one year of their fat salaries on top of that. Trust me, they aint the one's taking the hit. Also, it's unfortunate the debate on this board on foreign labor seems to have a xenophobic tinge to it; however, there is some validity to the argument that S has acted irresponsibily and perhaps fraudulantly in it's hiring practices. In the last 3 years, according to Dept of Labor stats, S has applied for 1150 H1B visas at a time when the company has been in distress and laying off workers. Although perhaps not illegal per the letter of the law, it sure does violate the spirit of the law and the intent of the H1B visa program. I will write more on this later with possible remedies, i.e class action. In the meantime, just know that upper management doesn't give a rats behind about you the worker. Yes, they will tell you what a good job you're doing and about how much they care about you. They have to. But in the end it's you they will throw under the bus as only a coward can do. the Troll