2 ms·

I usually associate the idea of "poaching" employees with convincing those that weren't thinking of leaving that they should join you (I'm not saying my impress

by smoyer 13y ago

I usually associate the idea of "poaching" employees with convincing those that weren't thinking of leaving that they should join you (I'm not saying my impression is correct). Think about Jobs "poaching" Sculley from PepsiCo. Jobs didn't even give him an egg sandwich (just the famous line: "Do you want to sell sugared water for the rest of your life? Or do you want to come with me and change the world?").

dasil003 13y ago
I see, so you were originally saying that you don't think the campaign would cause anyone to consider leaving Facebook or Google that wasn't already thinking about it? I think it's really hard to pinpoint the moment in my own head when an idea like leaving my job first crosses my mind, probably even harder for an abstract class of people such as Google or Facebook employees. To me, poaching is more concrete, it means going after someone you know works at a specific place.
- smoyer 13y ago
  Two good points ... it's also interesting that the word "poaching" has negative connotations [1] but if you read those definitions the impression is that poaching employees is somehow wrong rather than being a facet of a competition-based economy. How can an at-will employee be considered "another's property, rights, ideas, or the like". [1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/poaching http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/poaching
  - 001sky 13y ago
    Poaching is going after anyone employed currenty, IMHO. Taking applicants from un-employed job seekers was traditional "hiring". World has moved on, presumably tho. Switching contexts, ou would be "poaching" someones significant other (~negative connotation). vs Just "picking up" a single person you met at a bar (~fair game connotation). TLDR english is a loaded language
    - maxerickson 13y ago
      I would think the allusion is rooted in hunting, where poaching is taking something you don't have a right to take.
      - dasil003 13y ago
        I disagree with you both because as the GGP said, companies don't own employees. In the business world I see poaching as hiring a person who you learned about solely through their employment at the company in question.
        maxerickson 13y ago
        My reply was to phrasing in the GP comment that has since changed (It talked about poaching being a literary allusion to dating or marriage). I definitely think some business use of the word poaching is intended to stir up the idea that some sort of trespass has occurred, but language also tends to like such cute usages (regardless of the presence of an underlying agenda).
        deleted 13y ago
        [deleted]
        cpwright 13y ago
        I tend to think of poaching as a bit broader than that, but not just cold calling someone because you know they work at X. For example, if someone leaves the company, and then there is a concerted effort to recruit other members of that team or based on their recommendation that is poaching. If you've signed an agreement that forbids this, and you actively take part in it, I think it is wrong; otherwise it is fine. Alternatively, if you've engaged a companies services and then try and hire away the people doing the work to disintermediate the service providing compnay, that would probably count as poaching in my book too.
        dasil003 13y ago

by smoyer 13y ago

dasil003 13y ago

I see, so you were originally saying that you don't think the campaign would cause anyone to consider leaving Facebook or Google that wasn't already thinking about it? I think it's really hard to pinpoint the moment in my own head when an idea like leaving my job first crosses my mind, probably even harder for an abstract class of people such as Google or Facebook employees. To me, poaching is more concrete, it means going after someone you know works at a specific place.

smoyer 13y ago
Two good points ... it's also interesting that the word "poaching" has negative connotations [1] but if you read those definitions the impression is that poaching employees is somehow wrong rather than being a facet of a competition-based economy. How can an at-will employee be considered "another's property, rights, ideas, or the like". [1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/poaching http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/poaching
- 001sky 13y ago
  Poaching is going after anyone employed currenty, IMHO. Taking applicants from un-employed job seekers was traditional "hiring". World has moved on, presumably tho. Switching contexts, ou would be "poaching" someones significant other (~negative connotation). vs Just "picking up" a single person you met at a bar (~fair game connotation). TLDR english is a loaded language
  - maxerickson 13y ago
    I would think the allusion is rooted in hunting, where poaching is taking something you don't have a right to take.
    - dasil003 13y ago
      I disagree with you both because as the GGP said, companies don't own employees. In the business world I see poaching as hiring a person who you learned about solely through their employment at the company in question.
      - maxerickson 13y ago
        My reply was to phrasing in the GP comment that has since changed (It talked about poaching being a literary allusion to dating or marriage). I definitely think some business use of the word poaching is intended to stir up the idea that some sort of trespass has occurred, but language also tends to like such cute usages (regardless of the presence of an underlying agenda).
        deleted 13y ago
        [deleted]
      - cpwright 13y ago
        I tend to think of poaching as a bit broader than that, but not just cold calling someone because you know they work at X. For example, if someone leaves the company, and then there is a concerted effort to recruit other members of that team or based on their recommendation that is poaching. If you've signed an agreement that forbids this, and you actively take part in it, I think it is wrong; otherwise it is fine. Alternatively, if you've engaged a companies services and then try and hire away the people doing the work to disintermediate the service providing compnay, that would probably count as poaching in my book too.
        dasil003 13y ago