Sinking Ships take years to go under
February 8, 2020 12:24 AM Subscribe
My division of the company is shrinking, and with that comes voluntary layoffs and tight budgets. I'd like some tips on dealing with the increased stresses and expectations as an individual contributor. One big issue is the attitude from upper levels that things haven't changed and expectations stay the same.
I'm not concerned for myself as this is a slow process and I have taken steps to prepare for a sudden job loss. Please talk about things to do in my current job instead of a new job.
I'm not concerned for myself as this is a slow process and I have taken steps to prepare for a sudden job loss. Please talk about things to do in my current job instead of a new job.
When their livelihood is threatened, people can get ugly. Rumors, sabotage, bullying. Watch your back. Document anything that might seem to need it. Make sure your work network is strong. Get a new job, because when morale tanks,going to work is awful.
posted by theora55 at 7:19 AM on February 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by theora55 at 7:19 AM on February 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
If they are looking to shed people, beware of doing any easily-provable firing offenses, like surfing non-work websites at work. Be careful of what goes into email. However, firing for ambiguous problems like a "bad attitude" or not reaching expectations of a higher productivity is easier for the employee to fight, so the management will be less likely to fire for that. If you are let go, you want it to be a layoff (with the unemployment and other benefits that go with it) and not a firing. In short, sweat the small stuff, not the big stuff.
As a favor, if you have young coworkers that you like, help talk them through this situation. If this is their first major job, they may think this toxic atmosphere is normal or expected everywhere.
posted by sdrawkcaSSAb at 7:32 AM on February 8, 2020
As a favor, if you have young coworkers that you like, help talk them through this situation. If this is their first major job, they may think this toxic atmosphere is normal or expected everywhere.
posted by sdrawkcaSSAb at 7:32 AM on February 8, 2020
I’ve been through this. Take the voluntary layoff sooner rather than later. Staying in this situation any longer than you have to will have a long-term career impact as promotions and raises will come to a halt. You won’t get that time back, and the mounting stress will not be good for your mental and physical health. There’s no upside to staying unless you have no other option. Don’t let fear of change keep you in a worsening situation.
posted by webwench at 7:40 AM on February 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by webwench at 7:40 AM on February 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
I gave a book to management at a company I worked for called Traction by Gino Winkman. He is known for the Entrepreneurial Operating System. I introduced the book to the CEO saying I liked working there and I wanted to see the company grow and progress but I was only myself. It was a risk, but I wasn't penalised at all. I was actually given more freedom as a result. I then watched the book. I gave him three months to open the book because he kept telling everyone that books are the second best learning tool after sales.
I went into the office about 2.5 months later and got talking to his assistant and grabbed the book. He saw me later that day and invited me to the office for a chat. I was nervous, but he wanted to talk about how much money he had spent at a race track and show me a cool hat he bought. I began looking for jobs and left the company two weeks later, rejecting a counteroffer to stay. When I cleaned out my office on my last day I told him he could keep the book. Four months later the company laid off 90% of its workforce. Testing people is a risk but a worthy one.
posted by parmanparman at 8:40 AM on February 8, 2020
I went into the office about 2.5 months later and got talking to his assistant and grabbed the book. He saw me later that day and invited me to the office for a chat. I was nervous, but he wanted to talk about how much money he had spent at a race track and show me a cool hat he bought. I began looking for jobs and left the company two weeks later, rejecting a counteroffer to stay. When I cleaned out my office on my last day I told him he could keep the book. Four months later the company laid off 90% of its workforce. Testing people is a risk but a worthy one.
posted by parmanparman at 8:40 AM on February 8, 2020
Take the voluntary layoff sooner rather than later.
Definitely this, as long as the package is actually worth it (money, not "career resources access").
I took a voluntary severance package twice in my life, and it was an excellent decision both times.
First time, I took the money and went on a solo trip around the world for the next year, then came back, did some more schoolwork and changed industries.
Second time (different company) they announce the VSP program and I had my application in on their desk the absolute first thing -- and then they tried to convince me to stay (they were actually hoping their older staff would quit, leaving them with a less-expensive younger staff). One of my coworkers fell for it, their career stagnated for six months, and then they were fired anyway with less money. I, meanwhile, took their money to go on a nice vacation, then came back and quadrupled my salary by working for a more competent company.
So, if they offer money, take the money. Voluntary Severance Packages have changed my life, massively massively massively for the better. I shudder to think where I'd be if I hadn't jumped on them -- but probably stuck in a dead-end career with a dying company.
posted by aramaic at 9:27 AM on February 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
Definitely this, as long as the package is actually worth it (money, not "career resources access").
I took a voluntary severance package twice in my life, and it was an excellent decision both times.
First time, I took the money and went on a solo trip around the world for the next year, then came back, did some more schoolwork and changed industries.
Second time (different company) they announce the VSP program and I had my application in on their desk the absolute first thing -- and then they tried to convince me to stay (they were actually hoping their older staff would quit, leaving them with a less-expensive younger staff). One of my coworkers fell for it, their career stagnated for six months, and then they were fired anyway with less money. I, meanwhile, took their money to go on a nice vacation, then came back and quadrupled my salary by working for a more competent company.
So, if they offer money, take the money. Voluntary Severance Packages have changed my life, massively massively massively for the better. I shudder to think where I'd be if I hadn't jumped on them -- but probably stuck in a dead-end career with a dying company.
posted by aramaic at 9:27 AM on February 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
Look to see if there are any opportunities hidden amongst the maelstrom. If, in the short term, there are tasks or projects that might be available that you want to do, or will help you in your future career try and grab them. If there's going to be extra work flying around and not enough people you want to maximise any benefit to you and your future career. (It goes without saying that you do this without shafting anyone else.)
Otherwise, the start looking for new jobs and polishing up your CV. Prioritise your to-do list by importance and be ruthless at handing stuff back up the chain or letting things go as long as you have documented to your manager that you do not have capacity to do things.
One thing that does happen is that people decide that we no longer need to do task A because there's less manpower and other things are more important. You might disagree, but unless there is something like a legal liability involved, try not to fight it and use up all your capital. People are wrong at work as well as on the internet.
posted by plonkee at 1:00 PM on February 8, 2020
Otherwise, the start looking for new jobs and polishing up your CV. Prioritise your to-do list by importance and be ruthless at handing stuff back up the chain or letting things go as long as you have documented to your manager that you do not have capacity to do things.
One thing that does happen is that people decide that we no longer need to do task A because there's less manpower and other things are more important. You might disagree, but unless there is something like a legal liability involved, try not to fight it and use up all your capital. People are wrong at work as well as on the internet.
posted by plonkee at 1:00 PM on February 8, 2020
Good advice above.
Not what you asked for, but there's an amusing novel called Then We Came to the End, about the slow demise of an ad agency, that you might enjoy...maybe at some point in the future, when the dust has settled.
posted by Bron at 9:53 AM on February 12, 2020
Not what you asked for, but there's an amusing novel called Then We Came to the End, about the slow demise of an ad agency, that you might enjoy...maybe at some point in the future, when the dust has settled.
posted by Bron at 9:53 AM on February 12, 2020
« Older Supporting a sibling with mental illness | How can I turn songs with vocals into instrumental... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
One big issue is the attitude from upper levels that things haven't changed and expectations stay the same.
This is because profits have to increase, and more importantly, management salaries and bonuses have to increase. The fact that there are less people to do the work required to increase that profit and thereby increase management salaries and bonuses is irrelevant to the management making those salaries and bonuses. Oh, but don't expect them to work harder and with less, though. In fact, the decrease in payroll costs will probably go directly into someone's pocket.
So there are two ways to handle this: 1) work yourself into the ground trying to keep up with the increasing workload. This is what your management expects you to do, like the good little serf you are.
Or, you can do 2) just keep going like you have been, and if things pile up, well... too bad. Guess the company shouldn't have laid off all those people. It's 5 pm, I'm heading home and my two week vacation starts on Monday, y'all have fun.
If you choose option 1, you will be a team player and a real contributor and someone who came through in the clutch and really helped us out. Oh, but don't expect that to translate into higher salary or a bonus or anything like that. A pat on the back is about the best you'll get. And you'll still get laid off the second your wage impacts management compensation.
If you choose option 2, prepare for some indirect and eventually direct backlash, some of it from your own team mates (of which there will be fewer and fewer). There will be lots of talk about supporting the customer and delivering on the brand promise and whatnot too. But unless someone is paying you to do the work of two people, you shouldn't be doing the work of two, and eventually three, and eventually even more, people. This is the hardest route, because you've been trained from birth to do whatever is necessary to increase shareholder value, so going against that impulse can be really difficult. Oh, and you'll still get laid off the second your wage impacts management compensation.
I've had this scenario happen to me in the past. For a few years (yes, years) I choose option 1. I gave up nights, weekends, time with friends, etc. Looking back, I should have gone with option 2 from day one, because in the end the results were the same. So I'm not going to give you that one weird trick to manage your time, or how to handle the increasing stress while your workload continually increases and the demands on your time pile up. I'm telling you not to let the workload increase or the demands pile up, because the end result will be the same, with you booted out the door the microsecond you're a liability to profit.
Remember - this is a failure at the management level. You working harder won't save the company, and the fact that the company is failing or struggling has nothing to do with how hard you were or weren't working before. The people whose job it is to steer the company and manage its resources have failed. Unless you're one of those people, don't lose sleep, or time, over this. Hopefully you're devoting a considerable amount of time to searching for a new job, because this one will eventually go away.
posted by ralan at 6:53 AM on February 8, 2020 [24 favorites]