While my past has included a stint as a professional gambler I do hope you haven’t the impression that I make reckless decisions. This week saw me retrenched from my position at that large IT company after 10 years of service to them. Funny how that coincided with my plans to leave work anyway…well it’s not entirely a coincidence.
Just after I decided that I was going to retire from corporate life it was announced that half of my department had been outsourced to another company. It was an unusual decision in our country as in other countries globally ALL of the department went. So a decision had to be made, did I stay where I was with Large IT Company A or volunteer to go to Large IT Company B?
I bet on the inevitable and put my hand up to move.
We still did the same job, just for someone else. Same desk, same phone number, same people. For a lot of people (and we are over 2 1/2 years down the track) they are still thinking things are the same.
Where was the inevitable that I was betting on?
Of course things are not the same no matter how similar they look. Large IT Company B has a contract that says major savings need to be made year on year to the service they provide, and where would those savings most easily come from? Chopping experienced staff from “high cost countries” like Australia and moving them to lower cost countries within Asia Pacific. I told everyone from day 1, including my staff, if we don’t get more major companies as customers within 6 months then we will be doomed to the fate of most incumbent outsourced staff. No new customers were forthcoming…and even if they were, Company B’s strategy was not to mix them with staff supporting other customers.
So there it was, the inevitable. We had to go.
I had actually expected this to happen before December 1st (my planned retirement date). I had always worded my declaration as “on or before”, and I was always prepared to walk on that date should no announcement have been made. But large corporations being slow and cumbersome sometimes move even slower than you expect and I missed my target by 30 days after 3 years of planning. I don’t see that as a failure though, I get my cake AND get to eat it too.
Those people that thought things were the same have said things to me like “well you got what you wanted” as if I engineered the outsourcing. I know that is just anger (and for some, jealousy) speaking. My team was as prepared as I could make them for the laying off and I did the best I could to open their eyes to the inevitable over my time as their manager. In fact it’s not my team that is saying these things, it’s the people left behind. The ones that are hoping that everything is the same, when they should be planning on the inevitable.
Planned and executed my exit from the corporate world. Walked away with a 6 figure payment to boot.
That’s sad that after all those years large IT company A will just lay off their loyal workers just like that. You always have to plan for the inevitable because nothing ever remains the same forever, especially not the corporate world. Luckily you foreseen this coming and was well prepared for it.
Funny as almost 5 years to the day I was also “outsourced” after a long and painful switch over process. It’s never a nice process but at least once it is all over you can look forward rather than back. It will be a big weight of your shoulders, might not seem like it now but it will.
I think people have an irrational sense of safety when they work for a big company. They feel that working for themselves is somehow ‘riskier’. In today’s workplace, quite the opposite is true, you need to be in control of the company you work for, otherwise you will be constantly downsized as opposed to downsizing. Which would you prefer?
Nice article thanks.
Chris Mosely@Virtual Office´s last [type] ..Receptionist
Hi Chris
So very true! I much rather have my fate in MY hands then someone else. That may make me a control freak, or it could be taking personal responsibility … I think it’s the latter
I have so “been there, done that” but now I’m out into the wide world, I realise how limiting being in a big company was and how short-sighted (narrow minded?) I was being.
Michelle´s last [type] ..Creating Seamless Transitions
That is too bad story. You worked for that company for a long time with purpose of nothing. You should need a good explanation for that from the firm you worked. It is really sad to say that there are someone used to manipulate something for personal interest. That could be possible.
This is a grave problem in a corporate world that such big IT companies cannot provide due respect to the employees and keep lying to them creating unfavourable conditions which might occur any time and surely absolutely unexpectedly for the workers.So,you was wise enough to foreseen the inevitable future outcomes and that is exactly what everyone should be able to do either working for a company or having private business.
Nothing is permanent, right? There are some cases that some companies had to lay off some of their employees because of some other reasons like, they just decided to outsource their employees or maybe there are some financial problems that the company encountering. Mose of the time, it is inevitable that is why, we need also to be prefer if those circumstances might happen. We don’t know what may happen to us in the future but as long as we are ready, there’s nothing wrong that will happen to us.. Nice blog.. Have a great day and Thanks!
Allison – I came to your website via twitter. I so appreciate that you went into this with your eyes wide open. As someone who is semi-retired (only because of the economy) – it mystifies me when people are unable to “read the tea leaves” and see where things are headed. When I’ve been in your situation, no one wants to believe what you are saying…no matter how fast that train is headed at them.
As I’m in the USA, I’ve sensed since early 1980s, that no company could offer me security long term. I have been self-employed for 5 years now and am happy to have the freedom to choose who I work with, even it means a smaller paycheck. How much I want to hustle and market myself determines my level of success.
When I worked for a company (and I worked for small companies), I just made the owners rich and did not benefit personally. Enough of that…
Thanks for dropping in Elaine – looks like you “get” it where so many others don’t. That freedom to choose is what so many do not realise they have given away to major corps, and that is rather sad.
I had a similar thing happen back in 2009 and left just before the company let everyone go, in some ways I wish I had stayed till the last moment, but have no regrets as I’m now living comfortably with 15% of what I used to make and working 90% less.
I packed in the corporate life 3 years ago (I used to be a pensions actuary for a large consultancy).
I got fed up with the constant reviews, feedback, mentoring, monitoring, form ticking, timesheets and objectives! I now spend my time doing “real work” building my businesses turnover and profit. It feels much more real and hands-on in a way that working for a large business never does. Oh, and to boot, I love it!
Good luck on your adventure!