Hey, I happen to know that I will be added into focus very soon. Any suggestion for the best strategy before the focus is started officially? Really appreciate any ideas!! I have no visa issue, want to seek out a good way to stay as long as possible to get my vest. Can I take the illness leave immediately to stop the focus annoucement? Is there any different to take the medical leave before and after entering focus? Thanks! YOE: 5, TC: 480K #pip #focus #amazon
Best strategy is "no strategy". The greatest weapon you have is "ignorance".
There is focus and then there is pivot. If you are not in ficus yet you might try to switch teams. That's how you will know for sure where you stand as if you are in focus you can only switch with a VP approval. Some people get out of focus and are ok. But if you are in pivot you best strategy is to take the money and leave. Another idea is to find a doctor who will write you an FMLA so you can get some time to prepare for job interviews and still get paid. Again search on here for details.
How did you know you will be put into focus even before you were officially told? Have you been slacking intentionally? Obvious drop in your productivity?
Somehow I can feel it with many minor details ; )
What’s your tenure? Why don’t you just change teams?
You don't know the post? Okay, here it is. Use Amzn PIP escape method -----Shared on Amazon forum please copy and distribute------- (Internal Mantra to keep on loop when dealing with your Amazon / AWS manager is "the lying liar lieth and still they lie their lies" which can help frame and guard your level of communication.) You need to forget about all work for Amazon except giving the appearance of doing bare minimum - start coasting that skit banana funded work right now!! Concentrate fully on interview prep and lining up external interviews with employers or if you are on visa then only visa sponsoring employers. Lets assume that you are in USA and have one year of penitude / servitude completed with Amazon / AWS so then you are eligible for paid FMLA leave..... this is a well trodden path (its Amazon so there are plenty of medics who will sign off around the WA HQ) so you will have no problems. You do NOT WAIT for PIP but you start now whilst in Focus and your approach should be: 1) Dev List / Focus / Coaching which is the stealth tracking period where your manager does not need to even inform you that they are working against you and coercing your colleagues and others for anything negative (only the negative) against you and measuring you up for a PIP to the head.... you are also blocked from internal transfer without unobtainable VP override. 2) During the above get your medic to listen to your droning about the (external) stress and mental anguish that you are feeling and so unable to focus and meet your tough Amazon / AWS goals ... also ask if they can sign off or refer you to a therapist who can do so urgently as the stress is ubearable (use the phrase unbearable stress and anguish and specifically also say that you need some weeks away from it under FMLA)... FMLA evidence flag is set... FMLA important caveat / proTip: when laying a paper trail of stress and anguish you must make sure you DO NOT say that it is *due to work.* Instead it must be framed as mental health struggles that have flared recently and are preventing you from focusing on your work. Both your psych AND the leave administration company will deny FMLA if you tell them it is *because of* work. (Tip from soCri$p) 3) Amazon manager presents you with Pivot document and you have 5 days to choose Tier 1 severance or take PIP plan.... BANG this is where you submit FMLA into the DLS portal before the 5 days decision period is expired (DLS team need a day or so to respond to you so get this rolling at the start of the Amazon Pivot decision window) and then go on leave. Your backstabbing Amazon / AWS manager and HR cannot intervene if you do this as it is a separate team and *federal* mandated leave. The whole decison window for Pivot / PIP is now mandatorily paused beyond their control.... if it was within their control then they would of course be trying to sink you at every opportunity - its Amazon! 4) Get FMLA paperwork completed by the medic who you have already lined up and prepped earlier and submit that supporting material into the DLS team. 5) Tear through your interview preparation and job hunting networking to hiring companies and dont even consider one hour of work for Amazon... extend FMLA through renewal with the medic up to 12 weeks and throw in caring for family member as that is FMLA allowable too if your family are stressed that you are stressed.... so now you have taken 16 weeks of paid FMLA leave on Amazon's frugal dime. (FMLA is partly paid if u also file for Short term disability) 6) Burn through any paid PTO and sick days before returning to work too as only unused vacation time will be cashed out upon exit. 7) Accept the job offer from a better employer (there are so many compared to Amazon / AWS that if you throw a rock then you will hit upon one), which you undoubtedly will already have received by this time. 8) If you are on a visa then get the visa transfer process rolling under premium processing by the new employer. 9) Return to Amazon / AWS and take the maximum Tier 1 severance option instead of PIP, since every step after not taking that decision reduces the exit payout from frugal Amazon severely. 10) Cash the Tier 1 severance from Amazon and the sign on bonus from your new visa sponsoring employer and roll around on the floor surrounded by hundred dollar bills. 11) Return to Blind and tell the community all about it..... not forgetting to add your new TC tax to the post!!! Bonus level... 12) Rock it like a superstar and position yourself onto hiring panels in your new employer and never ever let an ex-Amazon/AWS manager get through..... your new colleagues will thank you. :-D Fifty percent of new hires gone within a year and average tenure only eighteen months.... hence the RSU vest after two years and tiny low 401K match from third year. Most folks will not see a big chunk of that TC (Frugality Leadership Principle). Rule 1 = Avoid Amazon / AWS Rule 2 = Avoid any companies which hire ex Amazon / AWS managers Rule 3 = Follow Rule 1 and In your next company join the hiring panels to keep Rule 2 enforced It is the way...... and in dealing with Amazon it is a very common well travelled way... happy trails.
lol, thanks! Very helpful. One question that doesn't cover in this list, if I take the leave immediately, can it stop the focus start? Any idea?
Fmla is 12 weeks. You mention 16 weeks here, is that a typo?
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Yeah take all the leave you can and start interviewing