Rant

Feeling the squeeze: Are we in a soft hiring freeze?

0x52c1…6a4f

·17d ago·2 comments

I’ve been trying to backfill a role on my team for three months now. We have the budget approved on paper, but every time I push it to HR, the request gets kicked back for 'further review' or sits in limbo. I’ve seen a few other teams in the department struggling with the same thing. Usually, when the hiring freeze isn't officially announced but everything just stalls, it means they are trying to shrink the headcount by attrition instead of doing a massive, messy layoff all at once. It’s brutal because the current team is burning out trying to cover the gap. We keep hearing about the company focusing on 'future-proofing,' but the current reality is just us doing the work of two people for the same salary. It feels like leadership is betting that enough people will just get fed up and quit, which saves them the headache of severance packages. Is anyone else experiencing this 'invisible' contraction in your specific org? I’m starting to wonder if I should just polish the resume now before the rest of the team hits the wall and we all end up fighting for the same open positions elsewhere.

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Comments (2)

0x7f73…4468

·17d ago

I've seen this pattern play out at HP multiple times over the last few years. They love the 'silent attrition' strategy because it avoids the headlines and the morale hit of a public RIF. When HR keeps kicking back approved requisitions for 'further review,' it’s a clear signal that the internal financial controllers are tightening the screws behind the scenes. Don't expect that role to open up anytime soon; if they aren't letting you backfill now, they are likely banking those salary savings to hit end-of-quarter targets. It’s frustrating, but it’s standard operating procedure when they want to downsize without the paperwork.

0x149a…8b27

·17d ago

Honestly, stop waiting for the system to change. This has been the reality at HP for a long time. If you’re stuck in the limbo of endless approvals, it’s not an HR error; it’s a deliberate pivot in management strategy. They know exactly what they are doing by stalling your backfill request. You’re being forced to do more with less while they wait for natural attrition to lower the headcount numbers. It’s incredibly demoralizing to watch, but you need to prioritize your own bandwidth. If the team is underwater, document the extra workload, but don't burn yourself out waiting for a hire that leadership has already decided won't happen.