Drugmaker Lays Off 1,700 Via Conference Call Ahead Of Holidays

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/17/rugmaker-lays-off-1700-vi_n_798442.html

First Posted: 12-17-10 04:51 PM | Updated: 12-17-10 10:13 PM

On Nov. 30, employees at Sanofi-Aventis pharmaceuticals, the world's fourth-biggest drugmaker, received an email from the company wishing them a happy Thanksgiving and telling them to check their email again at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

A.R., a Sanofi-Aventis sales representative in California who wished to remain anonymous, as her contract forbids publicly disparaging the company, said she and her coworkers each received one of the two mass emails the company sent out that Tuesday morning. Both emails contained a code, an 800-number and a call time, either 8:00 a.m. or 8:30 a.m. The employees who were instructed to call in at the earlier time were told they could keep their jobs, but the 1,700 employees who called in at 8:30 a.m. weren't so lucky: They were laid off by a voice on the other line that told them to stop working immediately, and had no opportunity for question or comment.

Unfortunately, A.R. found herself in the second group.

"The way they did this was so brutal and inhumane," she told HuffPost. "We were each assigned an employee number when we started working there -- an 'NM' followed by five digits -- and that's how I felt that day. Like a number, rather than a valued human being with feelings."

Sanofi-Aventis told its employees they would be paid through Dec. 31, and gave them a modest severance package. A.R., who had only been working at the company a year and a half, received 13 weeks of pay and benefits.

A.R. says a representative from an outside company hired by Sanofi-Aventis to repossess materials came by almost immediately after the layoffs to take back the company car she had been driving.

FULL story at link.

[supertruck97]

1. I keep waiting for the outrage...

but it's not coming.

"A.R., who had only been working at the company a year and a half, received 13 weeks of pay and benefits."

I would KILL to get those kind of lay-off benefits. Ay my employer, if we get laid off, we get maybe 2 weeks pay, and they pay for any vacation time not used and that's it. 13 weeks (almost 3 months) of pay PLUS benefits is a pretty darn sweet deal for someone who has only worked for a company for a year and a half.

That said, it was kind of a crappy way for the company to do layoffs. I assume it was cheaper to do the automated phone message than to have employees walk around and spend 30-45 minutes each firing 1,700 employees. Since the layoffs were likely due to the company's poor financials, the cheaper option truly was the best for the company.

Again, I'm having a hard time feeling to terribly sorry for this employee.

[TZ]

6. Thats a shitty package for this industry

And you know what, people who get laid off are still people. But I forgot, they are all evil pharma shills and Nazi scientists so who gives a damn right?
God, the bigotry on this site is disgusting.
FYI, as someone who works in this industry, most of those people are highly educated informed and generally pretty liberal white collar employees. But hey FUCK THE ELITE!
:banghead:
Oh and Sanofi-Aventis, thats really bad behavior. I hope they all get nice jobs working for my company (who is hiring) who is your competitor.

[LaurenG]

8. This is very dissappointing behavior, I had thought better of them. :(

edited

[SpiralHawk]

2. "Bugger off, Proles. Oh, and have a nice Christmas. Smirk." - RepubliCorp, Inc. (R)

[supertruck97]

3. This is not a Dem vs Repub issue!

Christopher Viehbacher: CEO of Sanofi-Aventis

http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/christopher-viehbacher.asp?cycle=06

In 2006 he gave money to 3 Republicans and 3 Democrats.
In 2010 he gave money to both the DNC and the RNC.

He's no more a Repub than he is a Dem, so let's not make this out to be something that it is not.

[AlabamaLibrul]

4. I'm making it into exactly what it is - he's an asshole

[HughBeaumont]

5. He also made 9.4 million dollars last year.

Another one of their executives made 2.4 million.

Seems to me if you're making that much bank, layoffs shouldn't be necessary. It's an unbridled capitalist issue.

[SpiralHawk]

9. It is what it is: Republicon Family Values in action

no campaign payola can disguise that...

[badtoworse]

7. Tack way to do it, but the package is good - nt

I may get let go early next year after only being at the company since July. I'll get about the same - not a bad deal considering.