The Joys of a Coroporate Life
Author: Tom
It’s been a while since I’ve posted, and I have to admit the past few months have been rather unusual for me. First, I lost my job, and that alone was enough to throw me for a loop. However, after a month of searching for a job, my company decided that they wanted to hire me back: apparently the executives didn’t really understand whom they were laying off (and they probably didn’t really care) and what that would do some key projects.
To be honest, I was OK with being laid off, as I had worked my self into thinking that it was an opportunity for me to do something different (perhaps move out west and see what might happen), but the Fates have a sense of humor I suppose. This whole experience did open my eyes as to just how much a cog-in-the-machine I am currently … I mean I think I have a great set of skills, but when it is cheaper for a company ship my skills overseas and hire ten people for what it costs to pay me, no matter how good I am at what I do, the company, as impersonal as it is, will opt for the cheapest route.
I think that many companies are starting to realize that their “cheaper” solution is not necessarily the “better” solution for their customers. In my case, my customers and colleges demanded that I return and worked to make that happen, however I think to myself, why do I wish to work for a company that doesn’t really care about me, my situation, my family, and what laying off does to everyone associated with me. Nevertheless, I am back, and the prudent thing for me to do is weather this economic storm and when things get better, I may look for better options. My current situation has left a rather a bad taste in my mouth. I remember having a conversation with my previous manager, and we both agreed that this type of thing will ultimately cost the company more money in the long run, and reduce quality and skills. Sometimes the decisions people make, even if they think it is for good business reasons, isn’t really the “right” thing to do.
Every time I think about this, I remember a great book I read about fifteen years ago or so named, “The Customer Comes Second,” by Hal Rosenbulth. This book I think every chief executive needs to read since it outlines an attitude toward corporate culture that centers around the employee and not the customer. The interesting thing is that the end result is a much higher customer satisfaction rate than what tends to happen in a “services” or customer centric corporate culture. The customer centric culture tends not to value the employee, since the customer is more important.
Anyway, my anger is muted lately, as I am thankful that I have a job, and friends that value me enough to help me keep it. However, if I ever start my own company, I hope I can value my employees enough to find ways to keep them in a harsh economic climate, even if it means taking a pay-cut and having all my executives do the same…
