Re: Secrets your company doesn't want you to know
- From: "Jerry Okamura" <okamuraj005@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 23:31:34 GMT
Back when I used to be one of those who had to make layoffs, I had some
fundamental policy positions. Don't get rid of anyone that would make you
look good, get rid of the person who does not help you look good. "If" it
was a choice between two people, pick the least productive one, because it
is the more productive one that makes your job a whole lot easier, and also
helps when it comes time for someone above you to determine if they really
need you or not.
"Jim Higgins" <gordian238@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:12fbrjhjdc3lib9@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Secrets your company doesn't want you to know
http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/22/commentary/everyday/sahadi/index.htm
February 22, 2006: 1:51 PM EST
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - It can be gratifying to be right, except when
being right means someone has confirmed your worst fears.
That's what former human resource executive Cynthia Shapiro will do for
some readers of her book, "Corporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company
Doesn't Want You to Know."
Learning these secrets may shock some employees into recognizing their
cluelessness about how their actions are really perceived by managers.
For the rest us, we might just feel better about how relatively well our
employers and colleagues have treated us ... although we might gain some
insight as to why.
Not every company necessarily harbors all 50 secrets that Shapiro writes
about. But it's a fair bet they harbor many, she said.
Her advice: view your actions through the eyes of your company, which is
like a fearful giant that won't hesitate to swat you down if you tweak its
fears.
Yes, Virginia, there is a blacklist
The typical rationale for layoffs is the need to reorganize and cut costs.
Pish-posh.
Sometimes those reasons are genuine. But Shapiro has seen companies push
select employees out of their jobs or layoff an entire department just to
get rid of one or two people without incurring liability.
And those select employees may never know they made a manager's blacklist.
One easy way to get on it is to insult the boss or be overly negative
about the company on email, in a meeting, or at the water cooler.
Being a top performer may provide some protection. But if you and your
boss don't get along and he has to get rid of two people, he's likely to
go for the people who make his day difficult, Shapiro said.
Being among the most highly compensated employees in your office will only
give him added incentive.
Treat difficult bosses and colleagues as you would if you were a small
business owner dealing with annoying clients: professionally at all times,
she said. Otherwise, you'll lose the account.
You're also at greater risk of a layoff if you've:
. First announced that you're pregnant or need medical leave to someone
other than your boss. If she hears about it from someone other than you,
she could lay you off and claim she had no idea about your personal
situation.
. Taken a medical leave or filed for worker's compensation recently.
. Filed a complaint against the company or your boss.
There's also a golden list
There are some employees who can do no wrong, or if they do, they're far
more likely to be given some slack.
They're the employees who are perceived as trustworthy, even if they're
not the top performers.
"Anyone can learn skills. Companies are looking for something more. They
are looking for those who appear to value everything the company values,"
Shapiro writes.
These are also the folks who actually do what the boss wants, and not just
what they think should be done, regardless of the boss's wishes.
Work-life balance? Don't get spun.
Ignore what the company says about itself to employees or to the press.
Instead, Shapiro said, "look at what they value by what they do."
We Love Our Employees, Inc. may proclaim work-life balance is a value it
holds near and dear. But which employees get rewarded and which don't?
If it's the midnight-oil burners who get the promotions and plum projects
while the work-life balancers are the first to get pink slips, you can bet
your exercising flex time, job-sharing or telecommuting privileges might
very well limit your career growth at the company.
Parents especially are at risk of being perceived as distracted. "From
nine-to-five your work life has to at least appear to come first - even if
it doesn't," Shapiro writes.
HR is never your friend
Shapiro's years as a human-resource executive before becoming an employee
advisor made one thing abundantly clear:
"HR is not there to help employees anymore. HR is there to support
management," Shapiro said.
Always go to your boss first with any concerns or conflicts. Going to HR
makes you look weak - which isn't a plus when it comes to getting
promoted.
"Only go to HR after you've tried and documented several attempts to speak
with your boss about a serious issue," she writes. By serious, she means
an issue that, if not resolved, would cause you to leave the company.
And definitely don't shoot the breeze with HR about your medical concerns,
family stresses or that drunken night in Vegas.
Anything you say can and will be used against you if need be -- no matter
how sympathetic and helpful the person you talk to may seem.
--
The brave might not live forever but the timid do not live at all
.
- References:
- Secrets your company doesn't want you to know
- From: Jim Higgins
- Secrets your company doesn't want you to know
- Prev by Date: Re: Private schools
- Next by Date: Re: When is it OK for boys to be girls, and girls to be boys?
- Previous by thread: Secrets your company doesn't want you to know
- Next by thread: Layoffs loom...how safe are you?
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
