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From: taylor@limbo.Intuitive.Com (Dave Taylor)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: ** Survey for HP People Declared "Excess" **
Message-ID: <152@limbo.Intuitive.Com>
Date: 15 Oct 89 22:12:33 GMT
Reply-To: taylor@limbo.Intuitive.Com (Dave Taylor)
Organization: Intuitive Systems, Mountain View, CA: +011 (415) 966-1151
Lines: 110

Hi there.  If you're an HP employee who has been recently declared as "excess",
or if you know of someone at Hewlett-Packard who has, I would like to hear 
from you.  I am, as most of you probably know, associated with "The HP 
Chronicle", the premier source of HP-related news outside of HP, and I'm 
interested in writing an article or two about what's currently going on 
there at Hewlett-Packard.

My understanding of the "excess" program is that a select number of people
in the company (around 10%?) have been declared as 'non-essential to the 
running and success of the specific department or division' (or "excess")
and are then given anywhere from 2 to 4 months to look through the LOIS
on-line job listing system to find a new position within HP.  If there are
no positions of interest, once the period has expired the immediate manager
then picks a job for the excessed employee, and if they don't like it, they
are expected to quit HP entirely.

The further wrinkle is that when you're looking for a position within HP
you can talk to any group at all (that's hiring and has requisitions), but
once you formally interview with a group, if they offer you the position
you are *required* to accept it.

Is this correct?  Is there anyone there at HP that would like to comment
on the accuracy of the policy I've stated above?

If you've been declared excess, also, I would be most interested in hearing
about your sentiments and feelings on the issue; answering with a request
that it be anonymous is perfectly fine (given the situation, it would be a
surprise if you wanted to have your name known).   If you're interested in
assisting in this, answering the following questions would be most useful: 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

			EXCESS HP EMPLOYEE QUESTIONNAIRE

		     Respond to "taylor@limbo.intuitive.com"

	- name (optional), department, and division, including location
	- years with HP, and positions held during that time (optional)
	- do you mind having your name associated with your answers?

	- how did you hear about the 'excess' policies?
	- how did you hear that YOU are considered 'excess'?
	- how do you feel about it?
	- are there aspects of the policy that you don't understand?

	- when where you told you were "excess"?  
	- How long have you been given to look for a new position 
	  within HP?

	- do you view this as a form of layoff?  Why or why not?

	- how much time have you spent looking for a new position within HP?
	- what percentage of time do you anticipate spending in the next
	  few months looking within HP?  Outside of HP?
	- do you believe HP management is supporting you while you search 
	  for a new position?  If not, what aren't they doing?

	- at a higher level, do you think this "excess" policy is 
	  necessary for HP given their current financial state?  Why or why 
	  not?

	- how has the hiring freeze impacted your feelings, loyalty, and 
	  views of Hewlett-Packard?
	- how do you think it will affect the industry perspective of HP
	  as "the one company that never has layoffs"?

	- do you feel that the right groups have been targeted for 
	  "excess"?  (keep in mind that one goal is to not adversely
	  impact the longer term viability of the research, development,
	  marketing and sales of the HP product line)
	- If you were capable of choosing which groups should have to
	  dramatically cut their budgets, which would YOU choose, and
	  why? (for example, it's not unreasonable to say that, given the
	  amount of money HP spends on their marketing groups, the company
	  has the lowest profile and worst image in the biz...)

	- Are you considering leaving HP because of this new policy?  
	- What companies have you been considering?  
	- What companies might you consider in the near future, as your 
	  search perhaps proves to be fruitless?
	
	- How do you feel this will impact HP in the short and longer 
	  term, especially in the competitive markets of desktop computer
	  workstations, minicomputers, personal computer peripherals,
	  calculators and medical equipment?

	- Are there big issues about this that I've missed in these
	  questions?  What are they and how do you feel about them?

Thank you very much for answering these questions!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Please do NOT respond via HP Notes or netnews -- responses via electronic 
mail to "taylor@limbo.intuitive.com" or "hplabs!decwrl!limbo!taylor" will 
be much preferred, and again, please indicate if you'd like your responses 
to remain anonymous.

I do *not* plan on summarizing responses to the net either, so you can
be assured that if you want to be anonymous, you will be very anonymous!

		Thanks for your help and I sincerely hope this period of
		darkness at HP quickly clears away!!

						-- Dave Taylor

Intuitive Systems				Unix Editor
Mountain View, California			"The HP Chronicle"

taylor@limbo.intuitive.com    or   {uunet!}{decwrl,apple}!limbo!taylor