back to article DXC Technology asks field-based techies if they'd like to leave

Just as DXC Technology workers thought they’d escaped a summer redundancy session the perennial cost-cutter has asked for volunteers to form an orderly queue to the exit door. Peter Hands, DXC UK and Ireland veep of the Deliver organisation - the unit that actually provides field services to customers - delivered the news to …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The C level peeps have to fund their huge bonuses somehow.

    How Wall St analysts cant see its just a sham I dont know.

    Last one out, turn off the lights !

    1. Paul Ward

      A few million here and there for C level people really isn't going to trouble the finances of DXC.

      Wall Street just looks at the numbers, which from their point of view don't look too bad. The problem is that the numbers are achieved by cutting costs and offshoring every possible role,

      I've said it before but it's worth repeating - a business cannot cut its way to prosperity. Cutting costs works as a short term measure but medium to long term it tends not to end well...

      1. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

        offshoring every possible role

        I suspect (particularly based on that "digital offerings" bit in the memo) that they're also trying very hard to eliminate workers by automating as many roles as possible.

  2. Amos1

    Someone needs to better optimize and align their keyboard

    "... better align and optimise in order to support our client base ob these digital journeys."

    Yes, "b" and "n" are next to each other, at least on my keyboard.

    Don't know if it's El Reg or DXC, though.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Someone needs to better optimize and align their keyboard

      It's the Reg (unless they got a different copy of course), but I have the original email in front of me (AC for obvious reasons):

      Copy/Paste direct from the email: "Within the UKIIMEA Region in support of this we are transforming our business to better align and optimise in order to support our client base on these digital journeys."

      Whole email is full of corporate bull crap, you almost need someone else to translate it to 'proper' English so you can figure out what they are actually trying to say!

      1. Paul Kunert

        Re: Someone needs to better optimize and align their keyboard

        My bad, apologies. Paul @ The Reg

      2. Denarius
        Meh

        Re: Someone needs to better optimize and align their keyboard

        while imprisoned in TLA/TLA I started a private project to create a manglement speak to basic english converter using sed mostly. If needed, adding a text parser also to assist readability. Had to give up because when the jargon was removed there was nothing left. JR Saul and probably others have commented that the current crop of wannabe elites do this deliberately.

  3. Velv
    Childcatcher

    And there was me thinking DXC (and its predecessors CSC and HPE) redundancy programmes were pretty much like sales at DFS - a new one comes along every month.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So much for the internal comms around starting to grow the business

    I've had one of these emails.

    1. My area has too few people currently for the amount of work we have (even getting leave authorised is a pain).

    2. I'm an integration specialist, and cover everything from old (FTP/AS2 etc.) to new (Rest APIs etc.), typically helping clients migrate to new ways of working, and haven't had a quiet moment at work for years now!

    3. Due to my experience/knowledge, I'm regularly involved in all this so called 'digital transformation' stuff, so I'm actually delivering the things that DXC are specifically stating they want to expand on, but still want to let me go!

    4. We were recently told we were moving into 'Growth', and so should expect to see an expansion in our area, due to high demand (the demand is still there, but we are being shrunk now instead!).

    The only real reason I'm still with DXC is the office is an easy commute, and other potential IT employers in the region, are quite a distance away, so would mean and extra ~2 hours min of traveling each day!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: So much for the internal comms around starting to grow the business

      I suggest look at options that offer being home based. DXC is pretty old fashioned expecting people to be in the office every day.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: So much for the internal comms around starting to grow the business

        Unfortunately this move from WFH back into the office seems to be a trend, rather than just DXC.

        I work for DXC in the UK (shudder), but I'm home typically 2 or 3 days a week, with the other days being either local office, or with clients at their site. I too am up for redundancy, despite being rushed off my feet with work all the time!

        A lot of my friends are also in IT, from support, to developers, to architects, and they work across all areas of business, and very few companies (at least the bigger ones) seem to want you working from home now :-/

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: So much for the internal comms around starting to grow the business

          Whitman used "Back to the Office" as a means of justifying redundancy for people who had originally been asked to work from home so they could save money by shutting sites down, Laurie will have no qualms about doing the same.

          They know full well that for many returning to an office is a costly exercise when the nearest one may now by 70 miles away.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: So much for the internal comms around starting to grow the business

          lol this company amazes me.

          I been here 3 years now. I havnt met anyone at dxc yet or former csc hpe. Literally went to an office to pickup a laptop from some desktop guy. 4 different managers since, not met one. Still not had a project yet. Worked from home every day. highly paid, all the perks etc. It sucks having nothing to do, but how i am not part of any redundancy is astonishing. I have booked to training for 3 years, i dont even know if anyone knows who I am. I had some guy in the USA call me about a performance review, didnt know who i was, and gave me excellent lol.

          Sounds great but give a man nothing to do and it will destroy him so going to make a change soon.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I have to say that DXC are becoming an efficient, well oiled machine... in getting rid of people.

    And I never thought I would use DXC and efficient in the same sentence.

  6. Herring`

    The theory seems to be that whenever they shed staff, the share price rises. Eventually, when it's just the execs and HR (HR never gets redundancies), the market cap will be many trillions.

    1. Denarius
      Unhappy

      @Herring

      seems right. nearly two decades ago the Oz arm of one of the 3 major TLA outsoucerers was told to sack, sack by merkin HQ. Local managers argued that they were successful in sales and had more work than they could handle, so they needed to recruit. Merkin PHBs replied that the stock market needed to see sackings to make stock rise, even if it lost profit.

      Conclusion: Stock market is run by fools. (who knew). Rich fools.

      Big companies are mostly run by cowards who lack knowledge of their own industry. Logical given many of them are sales weasels, thus good candidates for socialised psychopath assessment.

      And yes, water is wet. Now if only the *corpserations (sic) did not fund the politicians.

      * Corpserartion. Corporate version of zombie. Absorbs intelligence while shambling to destructive decay.

  7. jeffty

    I heard from one of their recruiters this week...

    ... pinging me via LinkedIn, asking if I'd be interested in a "Senior DevOops position" (their spelling, not mine).

    Locally they're struggling to fill vacancies with anything other than fresh grads wanting some experience on their CV or contractors willing to take the coin (but who are well aware of what mess they are getting themselves into).

    1. J27

      Re: I heard from one of their recruiters this week...

      I'm not surprised, I'd say anyone with better options wouldn't be working there. That's not a good position to be in for any company, eventually they'll have no decent employees left other than overachieving juniors.

    2. Mayday
      Thumb Down

      Re: I heard from one of their recruiters this week...

      Me too - except last week.

      In Aussie, if that matters. Mentioned that they normally take one on a six month contract at first to test the water before extension or going permie. There is no way I am leaving a stable job to go there. This mob are on my rather short list of places to not work at. Never go to a place that's laying people off. The only circumstance would be if I were unemployed (which I'm not) and there wasn't much else available.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I heard from one of their recruiters this week...

      I saw at the weekend that one of the DevOps leadership team in Newcastle was pushing DevOps jobs on LinkedIn. The locally developed cloud was a laudable effort in its time but as any fule kno it isn't a proper cloud and never could be.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Thanks El Reg!

    If nothing DXC grunts cheer when you publish a story because DXC "management" HATE you publishing stuff about them.

    Stick it to the man!

    Its about the one thing that makes the troops smile still.

  9. Pascal Monett Silver badge
    Facepalm

    "we will be [..] strengthening our skills"

    By firing people. Sure, that makes sense.

    Chalk another one up for the funny farm.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "we will be [..] strengthening our skills"

      It's right up there with "we will be the first Microsoft Super Partner", even though they can't figure out how to stop all the consultants fleeing this awful organization.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: "we will be [..] strengthening our skills"

        Also to be the biggest and bestest ServiceNow house, yet can’t retain the talent

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    DXC's remaining customers

    Must be chuffed that the quality of service decreases with each passing month...

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Geographic correction

    In the DXC context UKIIMEA is not "UK, Ireland, India, Middle East and Africa", but "UK, Ireland, Israel, Middle East and Africa".

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It truly was a bizarrely targeted email that made no sense to anyone, people were wandering around Thursday afternoon trying to work out any connection between people who did receive it. Growth areas that ML himself are DXC's focus were targeted, one such team has new starters and were interviewing for new roles today, yet still some of the team were in CR pools.

    Between the no bonus news, the utter shambles of migration from HPE to DXC infrastructure that UK staff have had to endure this week and then this it was a really bad week for staff, and that's saying a lot given the incredibly low bar DXC has set for the last 16 months.

    How they get any new starters is beyond me, I can only assume they pay them way over the odds.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "How they get any new starters is beyond me, I can only assume they pay them way over the odds."

      They aren't paying over the odds, a friend fresh out of uni with a post-grad degree was offered £18k a year for one of DXC's "entry level" devops positions in Newcastle.

      The position wasn't permanent either, you were a contractor for the first twelve months and had to fund your own PAYE etc out of that £18k. You were expected to cover OOH changes and work weekends too. My mate turned it down and got a permanent job at a local software house for a 50% increase on that wage (with no OOH involvement). I can't see how they're attracting any grads at that level apart from the desperate, most junior roles in the NE are around the £20-24k mark.

      I thought EDS were bad (they used to hire all of their junior roles through Kellys or Manpower ten years back when I started out). You were employed through the agency and your employment could be ended with a day's notice at their discretion, but DXC take it to a whole new level.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The move from CSC / HPE to DXC laptop builds and user systems has been utterly utterly shambolic. People have been known to spend 6 hours on the phone to the alleged “service desk” trying to e.g. get access to their email. And not coming out of it with access to their flippin’ email.

    Solution? Get in new help desk staff, untrained, in China. Presumably the current absolutely positively cheapest place to get staff with no ability whatsoever.

  14. Pandora LB

    Was it Cassandra ??

    I may have read this on https://cassandra-guidedinsights.blogspot.com/ (now de-funct csc-blog)

    But isnt DXC just like a premier footy club (UK based - look it up)

    Makes loads of money!

    but has a huge wage bill...no worries sell the quality players, sacks the manager

    - employ enterprising young things who are enthusiastic and will give you no grief, may win the odd game or two

    but has so much tied up in the football ground ... no worries sell the ground for redevelopment

    - play all games away (or at a temp ground, maybe even somewhere close ) -- who needs home advantage , fans or season ticket sales.

    ...Oh and the convenience (or otherwise ) to your supporters ( well who cares?)

    Die hard fans are locked in to buying the merchandise, traveling to far flung temp grounds for a year or two, so cant jump to a new team

    Club soldiers on in slow decline until they drop from the Prem... financial parachutes protect

    the accounts, but the players, staff, supporters are screwed

    Financials are fickle - but backers can bail at the press of a button ...and may lose a couple of mill (tops)...but will just walk away from the wreckage of a destroyed entity

    Thanks Mike (all of you, all the destroyers were called Mike!!)

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hands Strikes Again

    So Peter Hands is up to his old tricks once more.

    He all but destroyed Crapita IT services before jumping ship to HPES, and probably found jobs at HP for his crony crew who seemed to follow him around.

    Condolences to those at DXC who’s life he’s going to ruin. That’s both those that go AND stay.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    When no people are left being paid a salary...

    ... who's going to be left in the economy to buy anything that they make?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: When no people are left being paid a salary...

      DXC don't "make" anything, other than a mess.

      1. hottuberrol

        Re: When no people are left being paid a salary...

        Bingo. That's why I got out of that game. Mark Hurd killed all R&D spending at HP (whose motto, ironically, was "Invent") on his quest to meet quarterly wall street numbers and pocket his bonus and share options; and CSC never had any money to spend on inventing anything anyway.

        Yes the likes of EDS, HP and CSC moved labour offshore to cut costs - the easy option - but lets not forget they once presided over the skills and the cashflow needed to invent the layers of automation that are also driving a reduced need for jobs performing break-fix and resource management and orchestration. These companies could have created new profit streams to replace declining ones, and somewhere for staff to redeploy into. But their execs are programmed to milk a cash cow and meet a quarterly number, rather than invest andcreate anything. And the Boards of these companies know even less about IT than they do, so the cost cutting will go on because its the only option they have....

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why on Earth.....

    ,....would anyone buy AWS products and services through DXC?

    It'd be like buying a new Audi through Del Boy when the Audi dealer is right next door.

    More importantly when is the redundancy deal going to get pared back to the statutory minimum? IBM got away with it and Laurie and his yes men will not have failed to see that.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Glassdoor

    There are some very interesting, and very recent, reviews of DXC from an employee perspective on Glassdoor. Quite possibly the most blatant attempt at fiddling the reviews that I have ever witnessed.

    "I cannot think of any notable Cons that I have experienced while working for DXC in the last two years.

    "

    Really? Jesus wept.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Glassdoor

      I couldn't believe the Glassdoor reviews when I read them, clearly some pressure has been exerted on Newcastle DTC staff to post total lies. Not sure if it was a bribe of real money or a threat "do you want all the goodies for Newcastle to stop and to be treated the same as the other UK sites".

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Glassdoor

      Maybe the reviewer means cons in the other sense.

      No one, to their knowledge, has yet worked at DXC while locked up in jail.

      No mention of people who ought to be...

  19. anothercynic Silver badge

    If you are at DXC...

    ... TAKE YOURSELF ELSEWHERE before you get the boot. Seriously. MOVE. Find a position elsewhere where you are treated like a human. It may pay a little less, or you have to uproot yourself and move, but that makes up for this kind of shabby treatment from a global behemoth!

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Glad I left

    DXC is a joke of a company, I got out a year ago and never looked back.

    If you’re still there, I’d seriously start looking around. There are much better jobs and much better wages around.

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