You've spent twenty plus years loyally working in Information Technology (IT) for Southern California Edison, and eighteen months ago your boss tells you that they are going to study outsourcing but not to worry, "your position is safe." On the one hand you are worried because you know many stories of American IT workers losing their jobs to outsourcing, but on the other you feel comforted that you've been loyal to SCE and provide a critical service. Then eight months ago they tell you that they are outsourcing most IT functions and that they want you, get this, to train your guest worker replacement. If you say no, SCE will terminate you with cause and you would lose not only a severance package but also eligibility for unemployment insurance. This is the common story I heard from many workers at SCE.
The work that the 400 SCE IT employees do isn't disappearing, instead it and their jobs are being taken over by foreign guest workers here on H-1B visas. Those guest workers are employed by the two leading India-based outsourcing firms, Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys. (read more)
Thursday, March 19, 2015
"Why should I lose my job when the work still needs to be done?..."
"Why is the government doing this to me and my family?"
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10 comments:
It probably wouldn't take too much research to dig up some old news stories about clerical workers losing their jobs to the IT people.
1) Pragmatism. Your job is gone, and that won't change if you refuse to help them send it elsewhere, so refusing to help on your way out is just gonna hurt you and accomplish nothing else.
2) It was naive to think that them looking at outsourcing was not endangering your job, and they couldn't really tell you that without endangering the organization and it's duty to customers. As management, I would have just said nothing or "It's possible, but we just don't know." In other words, the truth. If you were planning on leaving them, would you tell them you were looking? Would you take advantage of the pay and benefits as much as possible before you left?
3) Only you are responsible for, or capable of, guaranteeing your financial viability. Don't trust it to anyone.
4) Those at the top of an organization are doing their job when they try to cut costs, and they will not sacrifice themselves or their family for you and yours.
5) They are a monopoly, so competition is not available as the usual cause.
6) As a quasi-governmental company, they will not cut the real cost driver, which is the exorbitant benefits and pension costs that are draining the organization and it's customers.
It was you or them. They chose to cut you, and you would have done in the same position. As always, you are on your own. In fact, the costs that are killing you now are the ones that were put in place like concrete by people joining together (unions) and forcing non-market conditions.
Employment is always people paying you for what you have to offer at market rates. Anything else has a limited shelf life, and you have the unfortunate luck of owning that yogurt on the expiration date. Always keep looking for fresh yogurt.
This was foreseeable and likely inevitable. Not preparing for it and expecting to be paid more to do something others will do for less was counting on charity or luck. We all need charity from time to time, and it's good that we get it, but it's not smart to rely on it.
I own my own business, but that does not protect me from the same mistakes. Despite being selected as the small business person of the year in my county last year, we are struggling, and I could go bankrupt, if I don't work hard, and make smart decisions. I will also need to just get lucky, but I don't expect people to buy what I'm selling unless it's good for them and in their own interests. In other words, I have to stay the best deal for them, like it or not. I'm not confident right now with my government working against me and in the favor of my competitors. I made a decision last year to keep my business in California for my employees, but that might prove to be the worst decision I ever made. I expect no charity from California government or it's voters, and I won't get it. I won't even get intelligence or fairness, and expecting it was stupid on my part.
The government wants to thumb the scales and pick winners and losers based on some vague notion of fairness. It's all bull.
They really want to pay-back their cronies and donors.
Unintended consequences be damned.
and yes, moving away from natural organic market forces and into command and control - centralized government control will only lead to failure.
I trained my replacement, no big deal. Happy to do it.
I trained someone else to do my job at every position I had on my way from floor laborer to supervisor to production manager to CEO to owner. I trained someone to do my work and then made it clear I could do a higher paying job by just doing it. I was lucky to be in a highly entrepreneurial, fast-growing environment (not government dependent) where there was alway more to do than there was people to do it, but that environment has it's risks too. As much as we pine for it, there is no safe place from change or competition, you strive, strive, strive, and then you die.
Alternatively, you could win the lottery, or inherit wealth. You just can't beat good luck.
I trained people to do all of my jobs and one of them I wrote the training book (about how to transfer valuables between two teams of two people) and improved audit findings from several findings all the time to no findings ever. I could tell they they read it because they were all using my jokes, 'the Helen Keller memorial blind count,' for example.
This reminds me, tru fax:
Our district changed its computerized accounting system that controls the supplies they keep onhand. There are hundreds of ordinary office items and hundreds more FRB specialty items that are used regularly.
All the items will have new numbers. That affects everyone who orders supplies. Everyone just hates it. It's a chore to begin with involving authorizations and finding numbers and such and now it's a chore that is changing.
So I did what I could to ease the pain -- to help people throughout with new numbers and new rules, new catalogs, translation lists from one numbering system so that computer entry is fast. A method to carry out increased inventory so counts are performed everyday.
The guy hired by the head office in Kansas City had already changed them over and already changed Omaha and now us, next will bee Oklahoma City.
He is from India. And gentile as can be. A smallish man. Great at what he does. Fantastic at solving problems. He had our rapt attention. I appreciated his help tremendously.
He gave me instructions. I answered obsequiously and unctuously, performing an elaborate salaam, "I hear and obey."
WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT? STOP DOING THAT!
"Your wish is my command." More bowing.
I SAID STOP IT !
I found a button and it's funny as hell. I did not understand why he reacted so strongly to anything that set him up higher. I could not keep off this button I discovered. It was just too delightful and it got him every time.
He continued to issued brilliant instructions.
"It is already done, Master."
"STOP IT!"
Whatever I could recall from the movies depicting subservience was thrown out there and he hated all of it. The whole thing tremendously funny to me.
And then he said directly to me, "I've seen a lot of transitions now but I've yet to see one that is so prepared as you. You are the smoothest transition I've seen."
And I said, "Thank you."
Chip Ahoy said...
And then he said directly to me, "I've seen a lot of transitions now but I've yet to see one that is so prepared as you. You are the smoothest transition I've seen."
And I said, "Thank you."
There is a joke in here somewhere, but I like you Chip, so I won't use it. :D
Oh, LOL.
Enough rope, and all that.
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