Re: FWD: Layoffs and scrounging

[George Mena <George -dot- Mena -at- ESSTECH -dot- COM>]

Well said, Roy.  :D  This is what Corporate America calls business.

Additional comments, posing as feeble attempts at humor, follow in the
edited version of the original message.

There's even a word or two of sound advice for contractors, so word up,
folks. :D

Later,

George

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Roy Anderson [SMTP:royanderson -at- IBM -dot- NET]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 12, 1998 12:30 PM
> To:   TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject:      Re: FWD: Layoffs and scrounging
>
        [George Mena]  snip
>
> You don't own your office equipment. Don't think of anything in your
> office
> --including your office--as "mine." Unless you bring equipment in, and
> have
> ready receipts for same, you won't be allowed to take it with you if
> you are
> downsized--especially software. If you use personally-licensed
> software on
> your office PC, be wise and wean yourself from it. Downsized employees
> won't
> allowed to go near their office PCs. If you were a manager, would you
> allow
> disgruntled employees to use their PCs for a few minutes?
>
        [George Mena] One important thing for contractors to remember --
which many do -- is that when contracts end, they regularly end without
any advance notice.  You can go to lunch one day and come back to find
you and any other contractors you've been working with suddenly being
asked to clear out your desks, just like that.  I've had that happen on
more than a few contracts.  Happens mostly on the defense side of the
Valley, but at least the defense side is honest about it, and most
contractors working at defense plants know it going in.  That being
said, contractors are best off being civilized about the whole thing and
leave the systems, files and desks they've been using in one piece.

        Let the company's lifers play out the postal act with the
survivors who now have to make the hard adjustment and screw things up
for everyone instead.  They've been playing the office politics game for
years only now to realize they've lost.  Why shouldn't they take it
badly?  They're the ones who've been laboring under disillusionment for
a bunch of years.  Hey, it gives the SWAT teams and the ambulance
drivers something to do so they can earn *their* paychecks.  Also helps
to keep the planetary gene pool clean at Darwin Award time.

> No matter how much you like to think of yourself as essential, you
> aren't. No
> matter how much you want to believe your boss's view that you're
> "safe", you
> aren't. (Your boss may not know it but both of you may be at risk.)
> Survival
> in a restructuring environment isn't even a case of survival of the
> fittest.
> It's a mad world of false promises, harsh realities, and broken
> dreams.
>
        [George Mena]  Actually, the boss usually knows his ass is also
at risk.  He's just not telling you because he wants to keep *his* job.
If s/he can do that by not being up front with you, so be it.  The
message "Downsize your department and start by firing yourself" is
pretty unmistakable.  Very few bosses have the luxury of letting someone
know s/he is going to get screwed in a couple of months, let alone give
you some time to go look for another job while yours winds down.  Those
that do are the ones to stay in touch with after the planet has stopped
burning down around your ears.  Save the dreams for your life instead of
your career while you're at it.

> Look around. The job market is still hot (it will quickly cool down
> because
> the Asian market wake-up alarm has been heard in the USA this month.)
> Get a
> new job while you can. There's terrific stress and angst in a firm
> undergoing
> restructuring. Don't become embroiled in it if you can leave for a
> comparable
> or better job. Several people--including a sr. vice president--shot
> themselves
> at my company during the most stressful time. I'll never go through it
> again.
>
        [George Mena]  The stupidity of senior veeps is incredible.  Why
do we even allow them to exist? :D

> Far too many people accept the spin doctors' notion that companies
> restructure
> because of cost. Nonsense. Companies use many excuses while downsizing
> but the
> most important cause--often unstated--is because Wall Street selfishly
> demands
> ever-increasing returns on investments. If your firm is lean and mean,
> its board
> of directors must focus on reducing labor costs and overhead. If
> you're playing
> the market, and are making a killing, your gains come mainly on the
> backs of
> downsized employees who lost their incomes, their insurance, and their
> ability
> to pay their mortgages and put their kids through school. Somewhere in
> the
> recesses of your mind, you recall, "IBM to lay off 250,000", "AT&T to
> lay off
> 40,000." Savings from sacrificing employees, captial improvements, and
> selling
> off vital assets is fueling the current stock market boom.

        [George Mena]  I knew spin doctors were good for something. Now
I know what: throwaway liars! :D

> What will executives do when Wall Street is again dissatisfied with
> company
> earnings? They'll cut even more employees and sell technology to the
> Chinese
> Army.
>
        [George Mena]  The Army's hiring?!  Hey, sounds good to me!
I've always wanted to drive an Abrams tank out to the Great Wall and
shoot holes in it!!! :D :D :D  And I've never seen a nuclear airburst
live, either!!! :D :D :D

> The "increase earnings at all costs" mentality is akin to the ancient
> Hawaiians sacrificing virgins to a volcano.
>
> "Oops, we're out of virgins. What now?"
> "Let's sacrifice our technical writers."
> "Sounds good to me. Let's do it."
>
        [George Mena]  Now, where'd I put that * -at- %&#! procedure again?
You know, the one we had written up on how to sacrifice our tech
writers... What do you mean, someone stole the tech writer's computer?!
:D  Didn't he back up his files onto floppies?? Oh crap.  And we've got
to file the environmental impact report, too, dang it!!! :D :D :D

> If you're old (40-65), or are a white male, or earn over $40K a year,
> or work
> in a "luxury" field such as technical writing, you're at risk. You may
> consider
> your work vital to your company but I can assure you bean counters
> don't share
> your view. Nor does Human Resources personnel charged with reducing
> head count.
> Nor does any senior executive receiving bonus checks for "reducing
> operating
> costs." Translation:  operating costs = you.
>
        [George Mena]  Bean counters... :D  I heard they're going for
$0.10 per pound at the local farmer's market.  All I need to do now is
know how long to soak them for:  four hours or overnight.  Got a great
recipe for chili sauce I've always wanted to try on bean counters.  I
don't think they work in my three-bean salad recipe, though. :D  Still,
I'd stock up if I were you:  at this price, they'll go fast!!!  :D :D :D

> It doesn't get better once restructuring ends. The workload doesn't
> diminish
> once downsizing completes. You and other survivors must take up the
> slack. The
> salaried employees at my former employer now work 10-12 hours a day
> six days
> a week. Their benefits have been slashed. The company? It earns two
> billion
> in profit every year! Survivors become victims, too.
>
        [George Mena]  That makes for a great case for taking two-hour
lunches on a daily basis.  If you've got to work that hard, you may as
well have a good time. :D  After all, the work's going to be there when
you get back, whether you take a one hour lunch  or two hour lunch. :D
The key in not caring lies in not having a loving spouse or kids to go
home to.

> If you are, however, a white male over 45 years of age, stay where you
> are and
> tough out any restructuring actions. No company hires white males over
> 45.
>
        [George Mena]  Not as permanent employees, but they make great
contractors. :D  They know what they're doing.

> Good luck. I feel your pain.
>
        [George Mena]  Now if we could only make those responsible for
our pain feel it more.  Maybe we can get legislation bringing back cruel
and unusual -- and nonconsensual -- punishment to be regularly inflicted
on CEOs.  Yeah, I know: dream on. :D


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