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Its funny to read these posts because many people hold on to a lot of myths
about business. Such as...
Myth: Long-term employees are happier and more productive.
Reality: Lifers are more experienced, not necessarily more productive.
Long-term employees have a tendency to be resistant to change and unwilling to
give up their authority or role. When a company must reorganize or change its
model, senior employees can be a serious impediment to that progress if they
refuse to change or erect barriers to change. I have seen this many times,
especially in tech pubs where the writers adamantly refuse to get out of their
cubicles and learn new technologies.
Myth: Happy employees are more productive.
Reality: Happy employees with a clear leadership, a set of expectations, and
consequences for not fulfilling those expectations are more productive. You can
have all the fooz ball tables in the world, if the employees are not focused on
their work, then nothing will get done. Mostly, there must be defined
consequences (i.e. termination) for those people that do not meet expectations.
Myth: Businesses layoff all the good people who do the work during bad times
and protect the executives.
Reality: Businesses must think strategically in bad times. And many times,
things like tech writing, are not seen as a critical strategic component. The
executives are, supposedly, part of the strategic guidance of a company, so
naturally they are going to remain as the company rebuilds. As a person who has
driven a company through very bad times and destroyed and rebuild my company
many times, there is a very simple factor at work - the company is dependent on
the leadership and capital from executives. Its not dependent (at a strategic
level) on technical writers. Tech docs (support, trainers, etc.) are not part
of the critical functions of the company. Therefore, they can be cut.
Myth: Everything should be fair.
Reality: Life isn't fair. Good businesses don't make wild gambles. They make
informed decisions and then plod toward that point. When things don't work out,
they have to cut back. Just because a few people poured their lives into that
work, doesn't mean they somehow are worth more. I could pour my life into ant
herding, that doesn't mean I deserve an award for ant herding excellence. This
is why good business people pay attention to trends and what the competition is
up to. Remember, nobody else has your best interest in mind. THe corralary to
that is that if you depend on others (or an employer) for happiness, you will
be consistently disappointed.
Remember, your employer is not your friend. Its your job. Unless you own the
company, you can't really expect the company to just bend to your wishes. Work
is a contract. You deliver, you get paid. Few (if any) businesses promise you a
comfortable, stable, rewarding life. That is your own problem. The business
just promises to pay you (via money or benefits) for your labor. You get a
paycheck every week. That is your compensation for your work. If you expect
more than a paycheck (longevity, comfort, clear management, etc.) then you need
to be clear about that. Because most companies aren't promising you anything
more than a paycheck when you sign on.
Andrew Plato
__________________________________
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