Patagonia gave its staff 3 days to decide to relocate or quit

>"The reality is that our CX team has been running at 200% to 300% overstaffed for much of this year," she added. "

It's a thinly veiled lay-off.

> The company hopes to bring staff together at the hubs at least once every six weeks for in-person training, company gatherings, or "Activism Hours".

For 90 people it can’t be that expensive for a company of Patagonia’s size to expense travel every 6-8 weeks.

With REI’s union busting efforts it seems that two of the biggest outdoor companies I respected for their values have gone by the wayside. I’ll be buying more from the cottage makers going forward.

It’s sad their employees are paying the price for the corporate mission that got the company so much good press. No one would fault them for donating slightly less if it meant taking care of their employees. Happy employees are good employees, which should lead to more profits, and thus more donations, in the long run.

Why are we acting like this is some egregious attack. This seems like a decent way to handle a necessary staffing reduction. How about we frame it another way:

1) You’re laid off, this is your final week, here’s a generous severance package.

2) Alternatively, if you’d like to keep this job, we’ll pay $4k toward relocation and you have three months to relocate to one of our 8 hubs. Let us know by Friday otherwise #1 is assumed.

Only $4,000 to relocate? That doesn't seem even close to the amount it would cost me. Breaking leases, selling your house, moving belongings. Much more than $4,000.

> Since September 2022, Patagonia has donated more than $71 million in earnings to numerous charitable and political causes, The New York Times reported earlier this year.

https://archive.is/kut8Y

Rough math at 100k / employee / year is 18 million cost over 2 years.

Edit: Patagonia plans to donate 1% of proceeds under the "1% for the Planet" pledge: https://www.patagonia.com/one-percent-for-the-planet.html

I’d take the severance. Happily. I don’t want to live in such metros.

This is gross. What’s the corporate motivation to not just call it what it is - a layoff?

This sounds like constructive dismissal, which is illegal.

Labelling laying people off as them “quitting” is also illegal.

I just remembered there's a bit of a saying here when someone is told to go very far away (or to go f*k themself), "lo mandaron a la Patagonia" ("he was told to go to the Patagonia").

Hope nobody fell for it and took the relocation. More than likely they will just pip or lay you off soon after arriving.

“We noticed your performance slipping. Please give us a status report in blocks of 15 minutes daily.”

> The company said it's trying to improve team culture and support business needs.

AKA, "lets force people to quit so we don't have to pay severance and save on payroll this quarter"

They have 3 days to decide but 3 months to make the move. Not as bad as it sounds at first..

Unbelievable. Such hostile management tactics feel like a layoff strategy in disguise. Relocation grants are all very well but those could easily be swallowed up by a renter having to break their lease conditions.

Em I only one who finds their clothes ugly? Without their big Patagonia logo on those clothes, I think most people wouldn't pay attention.

RTO ultimatum means they're definitely a soulless corporation. Oh and don't forget their history of use of carcinogenic materials and slave labor.

@Dang

Why was this post kicked from the main page? Is there an explanation on why to moderate like this to move it next to posts 2-3 days old?

74 points, 73 comments, 9 hours ago posted but #350.

I read it earlier and wanted to come back to it later and could not find it. I was logged out and was able to find it from [new] and through search. Thought it was a bug then clicked more and ctrl+f until it showed up on the main news link page 12.

https://news.social-protocols.org/stats?id=40834305

A rational answer would be 100% staff resign suddenly, not only for them but for all enterprises mandating RTO. Aside new website listing "anti-progress enslaving firms" with a "hall of shame": guys do not even send a CV to them.

If this happen for real RTO disappear, if not... You know that the sole purpose of the office is keeping people in dense cities to keep financial capitalism alive on the shoulders of all. Choose.

>Workers were offered $4,000 toward relocation costs and extra paid time off. Those willing to relocate were told to do so by September 30.

It looks like just saying yes buys you an extra 3 months and paid time off to interview to find a new job.

I moved cross-country in 2012 and got 12k to relocate. For. an. internship.

The times have changed for sure.

If they don’t want them anymore why not just lay them off? Why this beating around the bush, slimy bullshit?

Seems like a scummy tactic to force people to quit (so Patagonia doesn't have to pay severance or unemployment). Guess they aren't quite the wholesome do gooders they market themselves as.

Patagonia is just a tax haven now that the founder passed right?