about
During the process of being aquisitioned by Abbott Laboratories, the incoming management used the published term "Abbott for Life" to tell us that there would be no layoffs which happend not to long after saying that to our faces. Some of the surviving employees were demoted and others were hit with a second round of layoffs. The severance packages were very good for some and not so good for others. The HR department in Abbott Park has some good talent and some absolutely horrific talent. At times, they need to be prodded and even then, mistakes they make (read 'my money') are dismissed as not an issue and takes up to months to resolve. Keep in mind, while they are holding on to your money you are unemployed and have no means of income so you slip on car payments, insurance payments, etc. The management style is regimented, strict and methodology is very well documented and supervisors and managers are well trained in these aspects yet middle and upper management are not held to the same standards and follow through is atrocious. Ultimately, supervisors and managers are held accountable to a degree much more strictly than middle and upper managers holding them back from raises and advancement. My perception was that during the layoffs and demotions and subsequent power grabs, the higher managers protected themselves from the fate they had witnessed by creating a protective bubble made up of published Abbott cultures and disciplines and pointing at others (even middle management took the bullet sometimes) that they had identified as not adhering to the Abbott culture. I hear there are more layoffs in the making which will further degrade this already unhealthy working environment.
