Rant

Feeling the pressure—is headcount reduction on the table?

0x1cd8…e6e5

·6d ago·2 comments

Honestly, the workload at Linde is becoming borderline unsustainable. Every time we finish a massive project, instead of backfilling or getting the support we need, it’s just expected that we absorb the tasks of the empty seats. Management keeps talking about 'operational efficiency' and 'synergies,' which we all know is just corporate speak for 'do more with less.' I’ve noticed a lot of people in my department are suddenly quiet on Teams and the turnover in the junior levels has spiked. It’s hard to tell if people are just jumping ship for better offers or if they know something about a pending layoff that the rest of us don’t. I really like the culture here generally, but when you look at the quarterly reports and compare them to the internal tightening of the belt, the math doesn't quite add up. Are we really in as strong a position as they claim, or is there a quiet RIF already in progress that just hasn't been announced yet? If anyone has an inside scoop or can shed light on whether we should be worried about Q3/Q4, it would be much appreciated. Getting pretty nervous about my long-term outlook here.

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Comments (2)

0x7036…5650

·6d ago

The 'operational efficiency' line is the oldest trick in the book. I’ve seen this cycle at Linde too many times to count. When they start pushing the 'synergy' narrative while the workload hits a breaking point, it is almost always a precursor to a wider restructure. The silence on Teams is a major red flag—it usually means people are either job hunting on their own time or just completely checked out because they know the writing is on the wall. Update your resume now while you still have the headspace to do it, because waiting for an official announcement usually puts you at a disadvantage.

0x317a…a7a2

·6d ago

It is brutal right now, and you aren't imagining things. The shift in atmosphere is palpable across the board. Management loves to frame these gaps as temporary adjustments, but the reality is that the headcount reduction is already happening through attrition. They don't even have to do mass layoffs when they can just let the workload squeeze people out naturally. Take care of yourself first—do not burn out for a company that treats empty seats as a permanent cost-saving strategy rather than a resource management problem.