During an acquisition, I was temporarily hired and was initially assured a permanent role by upper management due to a purported "need for UX and CX." Before the acquisition was finalized, I had what felt like a "mini-interview," during which they expressed enthusiasm for my portfolio, even stating they were "fascinated" by it. However, once the merger was completed, they laid off over 170 employees, claiming it was the final round of layoffs.
Despite these assurances, I was soon connected with the only other experience designer in the company, which operates under a large umbrella of businesses. My role quickly devolved into tasks that were largely graphic design in nature—resizing photos and creating wallpaper designs—rather than the UX/UI work I was initially hired to perform. No proper workflow or pipeline was ever established for me, and there was a complete lack of communication regarding my official duties. Essentially, I was given busy work with no clear direction or purpose.
After nearly two months of silence, I was suddenly called into a meeting with HR alongside 70+ colleagues, only to be informed of yet another round of layoffs. I was issued a 60-day WARN notice, with my final day set for next Monday. However, they revoked my system access a week prior, effectively isolating me from the company before my employment officially ends.
To add insult to injury, I discovered that the "Experience Designer" role was reposted on LinkedIn, with the location specified as either New York or Pennsylvania. This strongly suggests that my termination may have been motivated by their reluctance to maintain an office presence in Colorado, as they are a company that prioritizes on-site work.
This experience has left me deeply disillusioned, and I would strongly advise against working at NewRez LLC. The lack of professionalism and the unethical treatment I experienced is not something I would wish upon anyone.
