One of my observations for the bulk of the companies that I have worked for is that they would make fabulous case studies for aspiring MBA's - on ways not to do things.
Somewhat sadly, it appears I can add another company to the list.
As I mentioned yesterday, we are now into the final two weeks for those of us that have been laid off. We are now moving into three separate stages (all predictable):
1) The first is employees that were slated for layoff finding other jobs and leaving. Typically, one would give sufficient notice as prescribed in the Employee Handbook to allow for the payout of PTO. There is no PTO payout in this instance, and so individuals have used their PTO (or like me, are using it now) and there is no incentive to give anything but the briefest of notices. Departures are now starting to mount with minimal notice: "Thanks. Monday (two days from now) will be my last day." The company has managed to completely squander any residual good will. If things are not transferred or done, there is now no chance they will ever be.
2) The second is that employees that were retained are also putting in their notices. No-one should blame them - the writing appears (largely) to be on the wall and that I am aware of, there have been zero incentives to retain employees. There will always be some level of true believers in any company, but a great many people are just there for employment, career growth, and the overall work environment. The former feels as much like a "You should be grateful for a job" as anything, and the latter two reasons are rapidly disappearing.
This puts the company in an awkward position: they are either forced to go back to individuals they had previously laid off and ask if they would stay (but that pool dwindles with every week) or divide the work among the remaining employees, which is a motivation sapper and just as likely pushes them to look for a new position as well.
3) The third is that individuals that previous thought about the transfer of labor in abstract terms are suddenly being confronted with the unfortunate reality that that things taken care of by other people and groups is no longer continuing. Speaking purely from my now-previous project management role, there will be no-one to set meetings, take minutes, create timelines, follow up, request and guide statements of work through to approval, and verify accrual of invoices - all things which at some level need to go on.
The result? Meetings that were previously seen as critical have now fallen by the wayside; timelines are now developed by user groups (if at all) along figuring out statements of work. Accruals...no idea who is following up on any of that. But it still has to be done.
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It is shocking to me how quickly my caring meter has fallen off. Where four months ago I was all about the project I was finishing up and closing out and what I would be doing next, I have moved to watching those projects wither away in real time. If I had to characterize my reaction, it is exactly how I remember breaking up to be (once upon a time, when I still dated): someone that once meant the world to you and you could not help thinking about and being with all the time is now someone with whom involvement has ended and you find yourself drifting farther and farther away until you hardly remember why you were there in the first place.
The thing that maddens me - if one can be maddened by a rapidly cooling interest - is that this seemed completely avoidable. But I suppose that comment could be made about relationships as well: it all seemed like it was going to go on forever, until one day it suddenly does not.
Loyalty is a two-way street, just like loving relationships.
ReplyDeleteBoth must be fed and watered with kindness and service both ways.
Sometimes its a little thing like letting her sleep in when she's had a rough night even when "We had plans" for an early morning...
Or coming over without fanfare to help your neighbor clean up after last nights storm.
Doesn't mean there will not be stressful moments, days even weeks BUT there must be that built-up reserve of good will to carry it past that rocky bit.
And them Promptly start refilling that good will bucket again.
Loyalty like civility, not missed until its gone.
That is a great point Michael. It is a two way street, and more often than not demonstrated in ways that to not call attention to themselves.
DeleteAn important point - missed apparently by my current employer - is that it has to be real refilling of the bucket (to use your analogy) instead of what they think refilling the bucket is.
Go through showing loyalty to an employer and it's not returned can result in being far more cautious about loyalty in the future. Michael hit the nail on the head.
ReplyDeleteIt is, Nylon12. I have never "given over" to a company totally for many years since I figured out that a company will always ask 100% of you when it is in their best interest, but can care 0% when it is in their interest.
DeleteAn important point I discovered (fortunately relatively early) is that business is business and life is life and the two are separate and should stay that way.
I went through a bad faith layoff once. The amount of looting that went on during the last day there was surprising. The breaking of trust.... the responses to that are complex. It's different than any other thing to me. It rips apart reality, to some degree:
ReplyDeleteWhat I understood about the past wasn't accurate - I mean, I thought I was working towards a shared goal. But the disloyal party had a different goal it seems.
What I understood to be happening now wasn't accurate - My contribution, my work isn't important, else, why the lay off?
What I planned on isn't coming to pass - future plans are moot, in a minutes time.
The past isn't what I remember, the present isn't safe and the future is now uncertain. The previously understood reality isn't. It's all gone to chaos, and it's unilaterally forced upon you. In my case, it pushed me to the point of asking, "how stupid was I not to see this coming?"
Different than any other emotional reaction I've ever had. Chaos....
Finding a firm place to stand in that is critical. Faith, family, friends.... Those have been my help. I bet for you as well.
STxAR - This is precisely where it leads to. The breaking of trust, and now the doubling down, are not something that can be repaired. And this is now obvious to everyone who was not laid off: your job is not secure and can end in a heartbeat.
DeleteIt does cause one to look back on all of the events and see them in a new or different light, just as you suggest. For me, I had a great many stock options that, when they "hit", were going to make things different. They are not; once again I managed to fool myself.
The only "thing" in this instance is that I could see it coming, even as far as a year ago. If you are in any industry long enough, one finds that there are certain signals or signs that indicate warning at least and failure and worst. They were present; many chose not to see them at all.
Your list is similar to mine: Faith, Family, Friends. Also, for me, regular activities like Iai and the Rabbit Shelter where I have a sense of stability in the midst of the chaos.
This is mostly all new to me because both of my prior hammerfalls have been the sudden kind. I literally was given a couple hours to pack up my things and make an exit. About a week after the first one, I got a call from a former retained colleague about something the company needed my help in figuring out. I politely told them I would be glad to help at $200/hour. I never got a call back.
ReplyDeleteEd, this is a first for me as well. I have to say that on the whole, the company would have been far better served to send us all home that Friday and pay us for the remaining 60 days. I cannot imagine this is good for anyone's psychological health and the idea of "we are letting you go, but we need you to still work hard and transfer knowledge" while "We will not pay out your PTO" is ridiculous. To your point, it makes unlikely you will ever be able to go back to any of those people.
DeleteI suspect that in the future, people will talk about their time here harshly and as little as possible.
If you treat people like a disposable commodity, they will react accordingly. Corporations are run by narcissistic, emotionally dysfunctional, meat sacks. They also tend towards atheist or Satanists, whether they know it or not.
ReplyDeleteTM, treating people as a commodity or resource like a piece of equipment, component, or raw material will inevitably lead to where many companies are. Some wise soul once said that the change in department names from Personnel to Human Resources was a harbinger.
DeleteAs to the second point - I cannot make that statement. I can make the statement that if you have reached the point where people are a disposable commodity, it does put you at odds with commonly understand relational practices and - for Christians - the concept of loving thy neighbor as thyself.
I agree with the commenter's mention of loyalty.
ReplyDeleteAfter the layoff and closing of the Shipyard, I never again trusted an employer, nor showed them much loyalty.
Each and every one of us will be replaced by an AI robot as soon as it is possible.
John, whatever residual sense I had of loyalty is gone. I am trying to not let influence my next round of interviews, but I am definitely trying to make a clear line between "this is a job" and "this is my life".
DeleteI suspect you are right for the majority of employees - the higher costs go up the greater incentive they have for AI or robotic replacements.
What's becoming obvious to me, is the similarity between the management techniques and attitudes of your company, and the politicians pushing their controversial policies on us as a nation. Seems like they all have the same mindset.
ReplyDeleteInteresting Leigh; I had not thought of it that way before. There is certainly some truth in that actions are being taken which eventually will result in some kind of corporate or national policy collapse, and those pushing it seem to have no awareness of what is happening.
DeleteIt is certainly not encouraging.
Agree with commenter about treating people like a disposable commodity. It's a sinking ship, TB, and it's up to you now to get everything you can from it before it is completely under water. They made the rules, now you play by them. Continued good wishes to you.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bob. I have taken everything of value that I think might be of use in the future. I am now managing the remainder of the decline.
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