The thing is, some people might think that their jobs are pretty secure. Even if some outsourcing occurs, this does not mean that all jobs will be outsourced, and it’s not always easy to predict which ones will get the axe.
Ditto for jobs which are NOT outsourced. Sometimes, a company just needs to cut personnel, and the decisions aren’t always easy. I know that my employer has repeatedly surprised us when it came to cutting jobs. In fact, there’s been considerable disagreement about the wisdom of losing certain key personnel.
[QUOTE] Originally posted by Una Persson
Finally, I am a manager too, and believe it or not some people actually have some honor and responsibility towards confidential matters they run across in work.
I guess I’m not one of those people. “Ethics and morality” is something that businesses encourage only when it suits them. The company basically tells you what to do, how late to work, and where to go with little regard for your needs. They will pay you as little as they can get away with. If your services are no longer needed, they will have security escort you to the door without a second thought. In such an environment, how is it “unethical” to warn your fellow coworkers that they might not have a job in a few weeks?
I doubt if people would do anything anyway. People get attached to their jobs and never think they can be replaced. I worked for a company where we knew that in a couple of weeks there were going to be layoffs. Yet everyone was so surprised when they were sent packing.
I work in an industry in a death spiral. A constant cycle of aquisition and attrition. Pretty soon they’ll only be one company left.
But I keep surviving lay-offs. I’ve been doing the same job, basically, for 12 years. But the company has been bought and sold, peicemeal, several times. At the 1st incarnation, I survived 4 lay-offs till we were sold. At the next, I survived 2 till we were sold. Then I survived 3. Now we have been sold again and I have already survived 2 'workforce reductions".
Why they have kept me is anybody’s guess. I could easily be replaced. Why they have let some others go is worthy of an Unsolved Mysteries episode.
I can’t tell you how many folks got laid off, then rehired as contractors at higher pay because management didn’t realize what these folks did when they axed them. (They lay them off to save money, pay out the severence package, then pay them a lot more to come back. The only thing they save is the isurance) But I have seen managers protect cronies and yes men who serve no real purpose.
I understand your points and your feelings in this - when layoffs happen, they often seem arbitrary, without cause, sudden, and downright cruel. And often, they are all of those things. Still, I do have two rebuttals:
My company does not determine my ethics. My ethics are the same regardless of the company policy or what I sign. And part of that is to maintain confidentiality unless there is a possibility for preventing clear and greater harm by breaking silence.
My profession has a large reliance on maintaining confidentiality. I can be judged, professionally speaking, on my ability to adhere to NDA’s and contracts, and even occasional “semi-secret” information. If I was found to be spreading information that I came across accidentally, it could end up undermining my professional credibility.
…except for the day my company stops treating others and myself like a professional.
I kinda have to look at the little guy in this case. If you lose your job, you lose money, benefits, etc…, that are central to you living. If companys lose employees earlier than planned, what are they losing? Money, yeah. Loss of production, yeah. But they will still make a hefty profit through sales and such, especially this one. And work will eventually be pawned onto other employees and contractors anyway.
Let me clairfy a bit, P.A. - I’m a member of a profession, not because of where I work but because I am. I’m an Engineer with 2 degrees who is also a licensed PE. I am thus recognized by the State as being able to consult directly to the public and on public works directly. Thus, unlike many people with the word “Engineer” in their title, I can start my own engineering firm or independent Engineering consulting for the public at any time.
My profession transcends my current company, in the same, exact manner that a physician and a lawyer are still a lawyer whether they work for a hospital or firm, or for themselves. That’s what I mean when I use the word “profession”. If I was to be laid off tomorrow, there is a very good chance that several of my current clients and client companies would pay for independent work from me (and it’s possible I could make almost the same amount of money, but I really doubt it). But if I were fired due to breach of confidentiality, well - my field is not so large that it would not get “leaked” around that I was not trustworthy on engineering and science policy matters. People may not care about your personal life or history, but they do care about trade secrets.
And with a consulting firm, there is a whole different environment. Laying off people results in an immediate move to the bottom line of “savings”. Consultants have no product or sales of tangible goods - if we have no work to do, our income is $0.00. If my company loses employees earlier than planned, it’s possible they could lose key people that are needed to finish existing projects and get paid. It’s happened before. Some layoffs are along the lines of “We will have to lose 20 people when Project A finishes, unless we get a new project for them to work on, because there is absolutely no other work to do at this time.” If those 20 people see that and get upset (and justifiably upset, as losing your job always sucks) and leave early, it’s possible that Project A fails, thus causing a total loss of income or a payment of liquadated damages. Which results in further people being laid off later on.
I would probably remind people that layoffs happen, that jobs are not a life thing. And I’d probably go farther and mention that I’d heard specific rumors about your company.
I have done this in the past, when the company was falling apart. Mentioned to the people that worked for me that “if they got a better offer they probably would want to pursue it.” Since management was jumping ship, probably didn’t need to be said.
Since the economy crashed, I’ve seen people laid off with very bad results. Houses lost. In two cases, lives lost (both had other problems, but getting laid off certainly didn’t help).
I agree with Una in that you don’t KNOW this will happen. Things change. (I used to write a lot of analysis for closing plants - if you looked at this confidential stuff, it would look like we were going to shut down everything. We seldom did.) On the other hand, having people looking after themselves now is in their best interest - it always is - and if it comes to naught, at least people will have had the chance to set aside some money (never a bad idea) and look at the employment market (also never a bad idea). The company is certainly looking after the company’s best interests. If keeping the staff is that important to them, they will provide “golden handcuffs” to keep people there and working.
I agree. I also determine my ethics and they are not based on “confidentiality agreements” or loyalty to the company. A company, especially a consulting firm, will have an easier time of adjusting to an employee leaving than most employees have to their sole source of income being taken away. Sure the firm wants you to stay until “project A” completes. The employees might want to stay until his house is paid off. “Want” has nothing to do with it.
