Yesterday afternoon, we broke the story that Paycom is in the middle of conducting a big round of firings at its OKC campus.
You can read it here in case you missed it... or were busy being escorted out of the Paycom campus by security after being fired without the courtesy of being allowed to pack up your desk or even grab your car keys:
That’s brutal. When I was laid off from DLO back in 2011 – my last dalliance with the corporate world – they asked me to work for two more weeks after being RIFed. It was weird to go to work each day as a Dead Man Walking, but at least I had time to delete personal emails, pack up my belongings, and steal office supplies.
I also got 12 weeks' severance – two weeks for every year I worked for the company – which provided a financial runway to try to monetize this website and never work for "the man" again.
In what can only be construed as an attempt to prevent other fledgling media outlets from forming and breaking news about his company, Paycom CEO Chad Richison – a man worth $1.5 billion who has sold off a ton of company stock over the past 6 months – has apparently decided not to pay the employees they are purging any sort of severance. They’re just telling them to file unemployment and get on with their lives.
That tidbit, along with some other not-so-fun facts, is what I’ve learned since our original story dropped. In fact, I’ve had about a dozen or so current and recently fired employees reach out on the TLO Tip Line with more information and updates about the Paycom Purge.
Here are a few of them:
• In addition to HR, the Paycom tax department was hit very hard. One ex-employee told me they were one of about 15 people recently fired from their department, while another told me the company has condensed five different tax areas into one area called “Tax Fulfillment.”
• Even though this purge is essentially a layoff, many of the former Paycom employees I’ve talked to said they were let go for vague “performance issues.” These employees seem to think Paycom is doing this to avoid the negative optics associated with announcing a layoff and to dance around any RIF/layoff reporting laws.
• The company is allegedly requiring some of its current employees to complete and file new background checks. Employees I’ve talked to who survived the purge think it’s a way for the company to further thin out its staff. Not to give Chad and his minions any ideas, but you have to wonder if drug tests will be next.
• In the middle of layoffs, the company apparently announced its fitness center will be closed for two hours each day. I don’t know if this is because they also laid off the fitness center staff or don’t want to give employees the opportunity to work off stress, but it’s worth mentioning.
• Not surprisingly, the mood at Paycom is not good! I’ve heard stories of destitute supervisors roaming the hallways with tears in their eyes after firing their entire department, all while the nervous employees who survived the initial purge anxiously wait to see when and if they are next.
As always, my thoughts go out to all the employees who were part of this purge. It sucks to get laid off, but from personal experience, it can be great in the long run. If you want to vent or confidentially pass along any information or details, reach out on the TLO Tip Line.
In the meantime, I’m sure Chad can sleep soundly on his mountain of stock options, while former employees scramble to find new jobs... or just their car keys.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
