You willfully accepted employment at a publicly traded company

Enough with the bitching and moaning and whoa is me attitude. Forest is/was a PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY. You accepted the risk of being taken over and laid off when you took this job. Go work for a privately owned company or start your own business. Brent Saunders is not the devil. He did his job, and did a damn good one. That's why he is a multi-millionaire CEO and you are a cheap suit-wearing drug pusher. Get over yourself.

Also, all this long-time, 15+ year tenured employees getting laid off are happily cashing in so stop feeling sorry for them too.

FYI, I am also a territory sales rep here also but I get it.

 

Guess that makes you a "cheap suit - wearing drug pusher" too?

 

AMEN!!! I too am a rep with 8 years in at Forest. People dont realize that the #1 priority of a publicly traded company is to deliver shareholder value. Not to look out for employees or their families. The employees are simply a tool to deliver said value to the shareholders. Saunders did what he was put in place to do, sell the company. I mean the guy is 43, been CEO at 2 other pharma companies, sold both and moved on. Did anyone really think this time he was in it for the long haul and going to run the company till he retired?? That is on you! The minute he was named CEO this was the fate of Forest. Am I bummed out about having to go through the interview process and find a new job? Sure! But I had a job before this one and I'll have one after, it's not the end of the world. Like the OP said, if you want to work somewhere where you are the #1 priority, start your own business.

 

Easy to say...may you be successful starting your own business. I agree that everyone ought to know the risks of working for a publicly traded company...but there are more appropriate ways of transitioning. Most that were let go are not walking away with lots of money despite their time in service...and only the very top are making a disparately enormous take on this.

 

Yes, and given the espoused pillar of the Hassan/Saunders ilk: "get connected by treating employees with dignity and respect"...words, mere window dressing to hawk an overpriced "management" book...
There is no employee respect here with this "serial dealmaker".

 

Yes.

 

So it would be "appropriate" to give people huge chunks of money? Why? Because of their "time in service"? It wasn't for free, was it? All that time and service was paid for all along as the time and service was going on. We were paid for the work we did. Which was always the agreement. That doesn't make anybody owe us more at the end... And OF COURSE the very top are making the $$. Welcome to capitalism. Why else would people strive to be at the top? Some of you people amaze me. If I pay someone $50 every time he mows my lawn, that's a business transaction. He does the work, I pay him for it. Fair trade. If I later pour concrete all over the grass the yard guy isn't entitled to "lots of money"!

 

Really? You must be the type of person who would also say a woman that got raped shouldn't complain because she willfully accepted to go out wearing a short skirt.
So sad you are willfully accepting to be an a**hole

 

Comparing rape to being laid off? I have no words for you. Grow up.

 

Brent,
What do you call laying off 500 hardworking employees who always delivered as asked and giving them the cheapest package in the whole history of pharma layoffs?
All that while making more than $25 millions in 4 months for yourself!
Why did you allow departing executives to keep their options, unlike low ranking employees?
These contrasts are the issues not the layoffs.
It's called morals and integrity. You won't understand.

 

What low ranking employees lost their stock options. Is this legal?

 

Anybody who was just cut for Project Rejuvenate lost their options. CANCELLED! All under the disguise of a restructure when they all goddam knew it was gonna be a takeover. Not sure about illegal, but 100% UNETHICAL!!

 

Anybody who was just cut for Project Rejuvenate lost their options. CANCELLED! All under the disguise of a restructure when they all damwell knew it was gonna be a buyout. Not sure about illegal, but 100% UNETHICAL!!

 

It is EVIL

 

Not everyone cut recently got their options cancelled. VPs and executives were allowed to keep at least some.