4 ms·
"it’s easier to keep a job than find one. We’re hearing about companies cutting 25% or 33% of their headcount. That means you need to be in the top 67% or 75% t
by ardit33 18y ago
"it’s easier to keep a job than find one. We’re hearing about companies cutting 25% or 33% of their headcount. That means you need to be in the top 67% or 75% to avoid a pink slip. Other than an entire plant, division or office closure, the decisions about whom to keep and whom to let go are based on performance, salary and redundancy of position."
Unfortunately this is not always true. I have seen two really good developers loosing theirs jobs recently. If you are paid too well, then you are in the x-ross if layoffs come.
While your manager might appreciate your skills, some hire management just views you as a cost, and really Don"T realise that some people are better in order of magnitudes.
When that spreadsheet comes, it is ordered by salary, and the top people are the first to be scrutinized, even though they good performers, and worth the money, they might get the axe.
Unfair, but this is how it is.
- gaius 18y agoLayoffs are almost never personal, esp. not in large companies. The decision to lay people off and how many is made at a level well above caring about the performance of any individual. The HR department decides who gets the chop, and they don't care about your performance either; they care about the company not getting sued, basically their only objective is that when the dust settles the company has a plausible gender/race/whatever balance and no-one's claiming unfair dismissal. If a company starts laying off then you want to get out of there while there's still the cash to pay a decent severance package, because the writing's on the wall.
- GrandMasterBirt 18y agoI happen to be one of those. After I left my manager left to a different team, and my most senior member got promoted. He actually offered to try and get my job back at a 30% salary increase because I was too damn useful to get laid off (with a hefty severence). Fortunately for me I had another job and I actually wanted to stay at that one (I liked the old job quite a bit, but I didn't trust the company enough to even consider going back). I ended up with a large bonus and a shiny new job with a higher pay. So I ended up on top :). Its skill and mainly lots of luck. So polish your luck skills! How? I duno but damnit you need to do it! In any case, to upper management you are a number, to the people who know you, if you are good then your value is known, but to upper management you are a title and a salary. Unless the CEO knows you by name management does not know about how great you are, what you did, and how much they are going to miss you. Unfortunately not all companies have you, your manager, his manager, and the CEO. At some point its you, your manager, his manager, his manager's manager, (go 4 more levels up), CEO. And after his manager's manager nobody will know you, about you, or anything good/bad you did. This is especially true when you have a team of ALL excellent developers (I was fortunate) and they have to lay a few off.