We’ve extended an offer to someone I used to work with, at a company I used to work at. This company is a partner in some research, and I know losing this person will hurt them (he’s a senior scientist). I am close friends with some of the senior management at this company.
We want to maintain good relations with this company, but this person is going to leave one way or another.
How would you handle this? Would you call your VP friend and talk to him about it? Just wait and see how they react? Ask the hire to keep mum about where he’s going (it will, of course, come out)?
I’ve just been debating the best approach and want opinions. The hire seems willing to handle this however we like.
I used to work at a big food manufacturing company; I interviewed with, and eventually made the jump to, one of our advertising agencies.
I know that, before extending an offer to me, the person who ran the account at the ad agency talked with the head of my divsiion at the food company, to let her know that they wanted to hire me. The head of my division knew that I was at a career dead-end there, and agreed that it would be a good move for me.
So, yes, I think that, in the interest of a continued good relationship with your partner company, it’s likely worth having that conversation.
Unless you personally are involved in the hiring decision or any of these business relationships, I would recommend staying out of it until the deal is done. If the company is a partner of your company, there is likely some legal implications related to hiring each other’s employees (NDAs, Non-competes and whatnot). Not that it is a big deal most of the time, but it’s probably best if these conversations happen through some combination of HR, Legal, and whoever manages the partnership relationship.
I appreciate what you’re saying, but I am personally involved in all of the above. And there are no non-competes or anti-poaching clauses in the contracts. I manage the partnership relationship.
In that case, it probably makes sense to have that conversation. I mean they are going to find out once you hire this person anyway, right?
I think what you don’t want to do is have that conversation until your new hire has accepted their offer. You don’t want to accidently fuck them with their current employer.
When I worked for a big time audio supplier back east there were many people who left the automotive division to go work in the consumer division. Mostly this was due to burnout from the automotive workload grind and the company welcomed existing talent to stay within the company. Better to keep good talent in some capacity than see it move on to a competitor.
I’m sure that directors and VP’s were involved in these moves but if someone offers to stay in another division or else risk going to a competitor the only question is how much does the company value the employee.
I agree with this…the way I might handle it is to have the new hire inform them first, and then I would follow up later that day with a call to my friend(s).
No, you are asking the new hire to do your job. What other of your responsibilities will you foist on them in the future? None I bet, but how are they to know this?
Also your old company will not be impressed with this solution to a delicate situation. They will wonder why you did not just talk to them first. They may see this solution as going behind their backs, a kind of back stabbing as is said. You do want to maintain a good relationship with them, right?
If I were the new hire, I would volunteer to do it myself. You should turn me down. Most folks will not volunteer. Many of them would find a job with someone else if asked to inform their soon to be former employer about the immanent change of employment. Their thinking may go if the new company is unwilling to do this delicate job, what else are they unwilling to do? At least I would wonder.
No, it is your job to do and I am confident that you can do it well. You know the folks over there that you need to talk to, so it should be easier to broach the subject with them.
What!? It’s not my job, or even my right, to give notice for someone at another company. Honestly, that’s just weird. And regardless of how much I trust my new hire, I’m not initiating that conversation until he actually lets them know he’s leaving.
Thanks for the thoughts. Of course, no conversation would happen until he’s given his notice. Sorry if that wasn’t clear.
Ours is a very small and insular business, and most of us work for all of the handful of players at some point. Part of why this is going to be hard on the other employer is that it’s so difficult to find qualified people in this space. In fact, it’s so insular and so small that I try not to say too much here, because if a colleague happens to be on this board he’d pretty quickly figure out who I am. I like to keep my personal and my professional lives separate.
I was in the same position before when I worked in Japan. There were only about four or five Westerners in that industry in all of Japan so I couldn’t say the industry and often avoided certain threads.
That happened to me. I worked for a Japanese company, an English-speaking Japanese coworker wound up with another company and I went to yet another company.
I hired the former coworker but because it was since a small industry then I took his boss out to “apologize” for “poaching” him. That’s kind of the Japanese way.