Major Shaw layoffs in the near future?

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Who knew that people would resort to cutting the cord when they just continued to raise their prices year after year?

I think it's mainly about a change in consumption habits. PVRs started their own demise by making it so that people could consume content on their own terms, when they wanted to. Streaming has just made it even easier. We want to watch when and where we want to, not when it's broadcast.

On demand TV is the future, and it's going to cost us an arm and a leg as consumers as creators piecemeal it out to us.

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

Originally Posted by Resurrection

Why should I look at it that way? Shaw is a very profitable company. They want to milk and squeeze every last drop from their employees so that family can have more ivory back scratchers. Who cares if other people were laid off with no severance; those companies haven't remained as profitable as Shaw have they?

Got an issue with that? Don't give them your money. It's a business, not a charity handing out jobs.

[White Out 403]

Originally Posted by Handsome B. Wonderful

Got an issue with that? Don't give them your money. It's a business, not a charity handing out jobs.

I don't do business with Shaw. But there 1 of 2 realistic options in Calgary. Can everything not be a race to the bottom for f*** sakes?

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by kermitology

On demand TV is the future, and it's going to cost us an arm and a leg as consumers as creators piecemeal it out to us.

Yeah, I think the golden age of cheap streaming is already past. Going forward you'll need 4 or 5 providers at $10 to $20 a month each for the content, and the price of broadband will go up and up as more people stream and stream much more data-heavy 4K and HDR content.

It'll be a lot more convenient than cable, but it won't be any cheaper once it's all said and done.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Handsome B. Wonderful

Got an issue with that? Don't give them your money. It's a business, not a charity handing out jobs.

I thought they were benevolent job creators that are owed every tax break we can give them. I guess I was wrong. What’s the over/under set at for how long it takes until someone blames the job cuts on the carbon tax?

[Jacks]

If they put as much effort into retaining customers as they do trying to get new customers they may not have lost so much business. I was happily paying 120+ per month until they started screwing around with my bill, last time I called them they said they made a mistake and I was getting too good of a deal.

Went to Cancom internet, same infrastructure, less BS.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Yeah, I think the golden age of cheap streaming is already past. Going forward you'll need 4 or 5 providers at $10 to $20 a month each for the content, and the price of broadband will go up and up as more people stream and stream much more data-heavy 4K and HDR content.

It'll be a lot more convenient than cable, but it won't be any cheaper once it's all said and done.

IDK about that most people I know get movies/tv for free

sports are the only thing keeping them on pay services

[Looch City]

Originally Posted by Jacks

If they put as much effort into retaining customers as they do trying to get new customers they may not have lost so much business. I was happily paying 120+ per month until they started screwing around with my bill, last time I called them they said they made a mistake and I was getting too good of a deal.

Went to Cancom internet, same infrastructure, less BS.

Too good of a deal?? Seriously haha #### them.

[Kjesse]

Originally Posted by lazypucker

Think about it:

If you joined Shaw as an installer or customer rep when you were 20 years old, you now work for 20 years. At age 40 you get a package of about 2 years' salary. But you will be heavily taxed, ....

Or maybe not taxed at all. All of the severance paid can be tax free. Doing this right, you could bank your 2 years severance into a retiring allowance without source deductions and go work. Four years pay in 2 years. Catch up on your RRSP.

Highlights:

A retiring allowance is an amount you receive on or after retirement from an office or employment in recognition of long service. You may also receive this amount if you lose your office or employment, whether you were dismissed or have resigned.

Tax will not be withheld from the part of your retiring allowance that your employer transfers directly to your RRSP, RPP, PRPP, or your SPP.

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-age...rance-pay.html

EDIT: I have settled files on the employer side where I had to hint to lawyers acting for the employee this was an option, where they were just going to have the tax deducted.

EDIT 2: This is a very decent offer from Shaw.

[photon]

I've also heard of situations where the severance was paid out over 2 years instead of just one to help spread out the tax burden, but not sure if that's a real thing.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by photon

I've also heard of situations where the severance was paid out over 2 years instead of just one to help spread out the tax burden, but not sure if that's a real thing.

Yeah it’s a real thing, and can be quite helpful.

[Shazam]

It's less common now because it can end up being a large liability on the balance sheet. Also because they want you to go away and stop bothering them.

[Kjesse]

Someone asked me via PM if you can split the severance payment and put some in an RRSP and take the rest and be taxed. The answer is yes, and I responded to you via PM I think (and maybe hit the send button too many times) but for the rest watching:

If you get a lump sum severance payment, the usual amount of taxes are not deducted. This is the formula from the CRA for what your employer has to remit:

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-age...-payments.html

That might help your or not at the time of payment, but at the time you file your tax return, you may have to make up the taxes or even get a refund, but at the most it will defer taxes that you will have to make up in the eventual tax filing.\

So if the lump taxed sum is over $15K, the employer must deduct 30% and remit it to the CRA. You might get that back, maybe not depending on your tax situation. The rule is old and needs adjustment.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by Resurrection

Why should I look at it that way? Shaw is a very profitable company. They want to milk and squeeze every last drop from their employees so that family can have more ivory back scratchers. Who cares if other people were laid off with no severance; those companies haven't remained as profitable as Shaw have they?

Maybe we should start thanking our lucky stars we don't live in Liberia too while we're at it?

why should you?
because the offer of the retirement package is very generous, no matter the reason for doing it. you'd rather people at shaw just get fired instead of the older staff retiring? would you rather they just fire the people who give crappy customer service? shaw has quite a few of those employees to spare.

did you start the thread as a chance to complain about what appears to be your employer? seems that way.

they may have their bottom line at heart as most major companies do, but they're taking a pretty fair and the least painful way of culling staff.

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by kermitology

I've got a bunch of friends at Shaw. Sounds like 6 months + 1 month per year of service as voluntary severance. If you don't take it, you may or may not stick around and they'll enter involuntary layoffs which won't be as generous.

Main objective seems to reduce headcount and operating expenses as they react to shifting customer demand (internet only, streaming, on demand) away from cable subscriptions.

I misunderstood that and read that as 6 months+1 month (so 7 months) per year of service. So if I was there for 10 years, that would be 70 months of pay...

Still a pretty good overall severance package. One of the best I've heard of. 10 years service would get me 16 months pay. Not bad.

[Oling_Roachinen]

I wonder what the minimum time to qualify for the severance is.

Seems like it could be a great package for those that were considering retirement in the next couple years.

But also seems like it would be an amazing package for fortunate, if any, newer hires as well. Work there a year, thinking of doing something else, and get hit with 7 months severance? That's almost unrealistic.

[Canehdianman]

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

I wonder what the minimum time to qualify for the severance is.

Seems like it could be a great package for those that were considering retirement in the next couple years.

But also seems like it would be an amazing package for fortunate, if any, newer hires as well. Work there a year, thinking of doing something else, and get hit with 7 months severance? That's almost unrealistic.

That's what I was thinking too... Any brand new employees would likely take this, since they would probably be the first ones on the block afterwards...

[bossy22]

I've been through a few layoffs in my day. Nova, Telus, Bell. From my experience, the first offers are always the best. Especially the voluntary ones. When they get to the later rounds, and they choose who goes, the package is always smaller. I volunteered at Telus, and got an awesome package. At Bell, I stayed to the very end. It sucked. My team went from 4 to me, so I had to make up the work. The moral at work was horrible that last year. Every day became a slog. In retrospect, I would have taken the package and moved on. I was lucky though. When I left Telus, I was hired a week later by Bell. When I left Bell, I was hired a week later by Shaw. It would have been nice to have time off, but the opportunities were there, so I took them.

[Northendzone]

difficult position to be in for lots of employees who might like to get out with a bag of cash, but finding something new might be a real challenge

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Yeah, I think the golden age of cheap streaming is already past. Going forward you'll need 4 or 5 providers at $10 to $20 a month each for the content, and the price of broadband will go up and up as more people stream and stream much more data-heavy 4K and HDR content.

It'll be a lot more convenient than cable, but it won't be any cheaper once it's all said and done.

I believe this is why Pied Piper's compression algorithm has been buried by tech companies as it would lead to heavy 4k content not using up near as much bandwidth.