AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT KELLER MORTGAGE

Dublin, Ohio-based Keller Mortgage, the lending arm of the nation’s largest real estate franchisor by agent count and an automated originator of mortgage loan programs, has announced that it will be addressing the over-hiring issue that saw the rapid expansion of its workforce and payroll by laying off 150 new recruits, approximately one-third of its newly hired associates. Many of whom were remote workers.

According to a company spokesperson, the hiring program “was a way to support significant anticipated business volume and cultivate talent within Keller Mortgage to create a pipeline of future experts who would be trained for more independent and specific roles in mortgage fulfillment, like processing, underwriting, and closing.”

“When we make really tough decisions that affect people, it doesn’t come without serious consideration and contemplation. This decision was difficult for everyone because it involved people — their jobs, careers, and lives. We don’t take that responsibility lightly.”

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT NTT AMERICA

Charlotte, North Carolina-based NTT America, a division of Tokyo, Japan-based Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, a provider of telecommunication service, including voice, data, and internet communications solutions in North America, has announced that it will be laying off 151 employees at its Ballantyne office located in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The layoffs, including employees in accounting, billing, credit, and collections, inside client managers and specialists, and purchasing agents are scheduled during a two-week period commencing December 6, 2021.

According to a company spokesperson, “NTT is undergoing the next phase of our global transformation that will improve client centricity, employee experience, and operational efficiency. Additionally, this will allow NTT to continue to invest in new innovations across our IT services and infrastructure, networks, cloud and edge, all growth opportunities for the company, such as we recently rolled out private 5G network-as-a-service capability and data center builds throughout the world.”

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? A CAUTIONARY TALES ABOUT REVERSE DISCRIMINATION

It appears your Mother was right, "two wrongs do not make a right." Some companies, in their zeal to virtue signal their "DEI" (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) credentials, are running afould of the law by combatting historic discriminatory practices with current discriminatory practices in the mistaken belief that two wrongful practices equate to a legally supportable correct labor action.

More and more employees are now pushing back against racially-motivated reverse discrimination firings.

Consider the case of Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based Novant Health, a not-for-profit integrated system of 18 medical centers and more than 2,400 physicians in more than 800 locations, and an operator of outpatient surgery centers, medical plazas, rehabilitation programs, diagnostic imaging centers and community health outreach programs.

It appears that Novant Health fired a white male marketing executive just short of five years of exemplary service and replaced him with two qualified women, one white and one black as part of an alleged diversity and inclusion program. The executive was told by a member of senior management that he had done nothing wrong.

The fired executive brought a wrongful termination lawsuit against the company alledging "reverse discrimination." It was also alledged that the Chief Legal Officer, Medical Group President, Chief Information Officer, Patient Experience Officer and President of Haymarket Medical Center were all replaced either by a black person or a woman in the 12-18 months after him.

In what should serve as a cautionay tale for companies and a beacon of hope for wrongfully terminated employees, a jury awarded the executive $10 million dollars.

As expected, you cannot count on jury awards until the cash is in the bank. The company's expected response was issued forthwith, 'We are extremely disappointed with the verdict as we believe it is not supported by the evidence presented at trial, which includes our reason for [the]termination. We will pursue all legal options, including appeal, over the next several weeks and months."

According to attorneys, "The case is about the fact that you cannot fire people just to create opportunities to fill positions. It is not a case against Diversity and Inclusion."

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?