TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Yes, that is exactly the pattern I have seen as well. And I have been on
both sides of the retention decision.
And this just reinforces the point about the value of corporate knowledge.
When a product bombs, that devalues the knowledge of everyone who worked on
it. The company no longer needs to remember how it works or how it was
built. It can dispose of that knowledge, and the heads that contain, it
without long-term consequences.
Some cherry picking does go on as well, to weed out the worst and keep the
very best. But in the short term the knowledge of the next great product in
the head of a mediocre engineer is often worth more than the skills of a
better engineer who has spent years working on something else.
This is one reason that engineers, in particular, tend to be more loyal to
the technology they know than to the company they work for.
I have never worked in a company where the tech writers - at least the
company's own direct-hire writers - were the first to be let go.
The pattern I've experienced has been that the first to go are contractors
of all types, beginning with those whose contracts are running out. Next go
the developers of products that have bombed and have no alternative work
assignments. Next, as products in the development chutes the company still
had hopes for are completed, released and fail, go the people tasked with
supporting them, and that's when many of the tech writers go. The last to go
are the developers who are working on the "next big thing" the company is
hoping will save its bacon.
Along the way, internal politics will act to push out management and
executives the company's inner core of power holders dislike, regardless of
their positions or capabilities. And this management cleansing doesn't
necessarily sync up with the shedding of individual contributors.
If you see a growing parade of your company's best and most effective
managers going out the door, it's time to start looking even if there hasn't
been a hint of problems at your level.
Gene Kim-Eng
On 10/8/2016 12:32 PM, Keith Hood wrote:
> "As to why tech writers are the first to be let go in a downturn"
>
> You are wrong. Tech writers are always in the first wave of layoffs
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Visit TechWhirl for the latest on content technology, content strategy and content development | http://techwhirl.com
