It seems that hard times in the world of commerce aren’t distributed evenly across the spectrum: the NY Times reports that business is booming for companies providing “layoff services” to corporations cutting jobs.
Yes, those executive teams that decided a decade ago to ship your job to Bangalore or Manila are also outsourcing the dirty business of managing the process of mass terminations that flow in the wake of the economic collapse. One source estimated that more than a million Americans joined the ranks of the unemployed last year; I guess their erstwhile employers could no more handle that than they could other basic business processes.
These firms provide everything from management training (“Laying off your staff 101”) to “outplacement counseling”. According to the Times, a “basic package of services for a departing employee, including a one-day seminar, can cost about $1000.”
Last month’s canning of 1000 Yahoo! employees resulted in an interesting leak to a San José blog of the script to be used by managers in handling the terminations. All geared at protecting the company’s legal butt, of course.
I suppose it’s emblematic of American entrepreneurship that, no matter what the economic situation, there’ll always be companies popping up to see an opportunity & step in to fill it.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Microsoft's employee weight loss program
A sign of hard times indeed: Microsoft, that monolith of enterprise software, joined the ranks of Google, Intel & others, & announced yesterday that the recession has necessitated cost-cutting measures, to include getting rid of 5,000 jobs over the next 18 months. Fourteen hundred employees were notified that they’re on The List.
The staff layoffs are in addition to cutting back on the use of contractors & putting construction projects on hold, measures that were announced earlier in the week.
For more than a month, rumors of job cuts have been swirling in the Puget Sound area, where Microsoft is one of the region’s largest & most generous employer. Salaries, benefits, perks—all outclass everything else in the area. The free sodas & juices alone run to $20M per year.
I can tell you that this week productivity has faltered & whispered conversations have increased, as folks speculated, repeated stories overheard & reconsidered whether they should redo the bathroom or just hang tight. The conversation-opening gambit yesterday was, “Well, my badge worked, so…”
There’s no telling what lies ahead—if you survived this round, there are more to come. & this in a company that actually turned a profit this past quarter.
Of course, it’s also the company that has been in a hiring frenzy that only slowed down recently. October’s new hires totaled 1,000; November’s were 380; & last month finally came down to 164.
Working in a place with the Sword of Damocles hanging over you is never good. It’ll be interesting to see how the Microsofties respond to the exhortations to innovate…or else.
The staff layoffs are in addition to cutting back on the use of contractors & putting construction projects on hold, measures that were announced earlier in the week.
For more than a month, rumors of job cuts have been swirling in the Puget Sound area, where Microsoft is one of the region’s largest & most generous employer. Salaries, benefits, perks—all outclass everything else in the area. The free sodas & juices alone run to $20M per year.
I can tell you that this week productivity has faltered & whispered conversations have increased, as folks speculated, repeated stories overheard & reconsidered whether they should redo the bathroom or just hang tight. The conversation-opening gambit yesterday was, “Well, my badge worked, so…”
There’s no telling what lies ahead—if you survived this round, there are more to come. & this in a company that actually turned a profit this past quarter.
Of course, it’s also the company that has been in a hiring frenzy that only slowed down recently. October’s new hires totaled 1,000; November’s were 380; & last month finally came down to 164.
Working in a place with the Sword of Damocles hanging over you is never good. It’ll be interesting to see how the Microsofties respond to the exhortations to innovate…or else.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Motor City madness
As you may or may not know, the annual North American International Auto Show is in progress. You can find their web site for yourself; I’m not helping them pump their traffic figures.
What you may have noticed is that there hasn’t been a lot of coverage of this year’s show in the media, because Detroit appears to be as bankrupt in new models as it is in its coffers. There are concept cars, apparently an attempt to see if people get excited.
However, here’s one report that really explores the whole mishegoss. If they didn’t have $25B of our money already, this would be more amusing, but I put it out here for you anyhow.
But here's a real piece of lunacy: Fiat has announced its intent to "buy" a 35% share in that sinking ship, Chrysler. My first thought was, "suckers!" but it turns out that you & I, my fellow Americans, would foot the bill for this one, too.
According to a story in Wednesday's WSJ this would be a "cashless" deal for Fiat, with the Italian company contributing only "technology & vehicles" for Chrysler to build & sell here.
Oh, & it's contingent on Chrysler getting another $3B in handouts from the Feds.
They should be distributing booze nationwide from that auto show.
What you may have noticed is that there hasn’t been a lot of coverage of this year’s show in the media, because Detroit appears to be as bankrupt in new models as it is in its coffers. There are concept cars, apparently an attempt to see if people get excited.
However, here’s one report that really explores the whole mishegoss. If they didn’t have $25B of our money already, this would be more amusing, but I put it out here for you anyhow.
But here's a real piece of lunacy: Fiat has announced its intent to "buy" a 35% share in that sinking ship, Chrysler. My first thought was, "suckers!" but it turns out that you & I, my fellow Americans, would foot the bill for this one, too.
According to a story in Wednesday's WSJ this would be a "cashless" deal for Fiat, with the Italian company contributing only "technology & vehicles" for Chrysler to build & sell here.
Oh, & it's contingent on Chrysler getting another $3B in handouts from the Feds.
They should be distributing booze nationwide from that auto show.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Friends beyond death
I guess the California legislature doesn’t own the exclusive rights to bizarre lawmaking. Seems a Washington state senator has proposed a bill to allow humans to be buried with their pets.
I really don’t have any opinion one way or another about the comingling of remains. But I am a little concerned about the timelines: if you predecease Fluffy or Spike, how can you be sure your executors will honor your wish?
And most people will have to say good-bye to a series of non-human companions long before they take that final journey—what happens to the little corpses in the meantime?
(And, BTW—what if it’s not a little body? What if your dearest four-foot is a Percheron?)
I’m just a little worried about the possibility of a surge of cross-species murder-suicide pacts to ensure that the buddies go together.
I really don’t have any opinion one way or another about the comingling of remains. But I am a little concerned about the timelines: if you predecease Fluffy or Spike, how can you be sure your executors will honor your wish?
And most people will have to say good-bye to a series of non-human companions long before they take that final journey—what happens to the little corpses in the meantime?
(And, BTW—what if it’s not a little body? What if your dearest four-foot is a Percheron?)
I’m just a little worried about the possibility of a surge of cross-species murder-suicide pacts to ensure that the buddies go together.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
President Obama
It’s 1800 PST on Tuesday, 20 January 2009. Six hours ago (minus a couple of minutes) a new era began for the nation and the world.
I listened to the ceremony, caught only part of the video online since my employer’s network couldn’t handle the load.
Hard to say when I’ve been so moved by anything involving elected officials, but it’s good I was wearing waterproof mascara. I started sniffling when Obama took the oath of office, and pretty well lost it in his inaugural address.
And; what a sight—two million people on the National Mall, in the January cold, waiting to witness this moment.
The parallels with the inauguration of FDR in 1933 are obvious. Democratic President taking office in the worst financial crisis of the century—which the experts say is far from over. Massive unemployment. We of course have the addition of two wars going on and the loss of international standing rivaled only during the Vietnam era.
I worry some that the expectations that have been laid on the new President are so unrealistic that, short of a string of miracles, he’ll disillusion them. We need to give him room and realize that none of his solutions is going to make us all happy.
That being said, I feel such a sense of relief and hope unprecedented when associated with government. In fact, I’m going to pour one more little glass of champagne to wash away the taste of the last administration.
It's a new era, a new deal.
I listened to the ceremony, caught only part of the video online since my employer’s network couldn’t handle the load.
Hard to say when I’ve been so moved by anything involving elected officials, but it’s good I was wearing waterproof mascara. I started sniffling when Obama took the oath of office, and pretty well lost it in his inaugural address.
And; what a sight—two million people on the National Mall, in the January cold, waiting to witness this moment.
The parallels with the inauguration of FDR in 1933 are obvious. Democratic President taking office in the worst financial crisis of the century—which the experts say is far from over. Massive unemployment. We of course have the addition of two wars going on and the loss of international standing rivaled only during the Vietnam era.
I worry some that the expectations that have been laid on the new President are so unrealistic that, short of a string of miracles, he’ll disillusion them. We need to give him room and realize that none of his solutions is going to make us all happy.
That being said, I feel such a sense of relief and hope unprecedented when associated with government. In fact, I’m going to pour one more little glass of champagne to wash away the taste of the last administration.
It's a new era, a new deal.
Hail to the Chief
As you would expect, the WSJ’s resident beverage columnists have recommendations for liquid aids for celebrating the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
Wine columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter & John Brecher naturally focus on American sparklers. I don’t understand why they didn’t include Roederer Estate amongst their recommendations, especially if they singled out Schramsburg’s Mirabelle instead of their Blanc de Noirs. But, as Leonard Wibberley was wont to remark, de gustibus non est disputandum.
Of course Eric Felten takes us down a more bibulous inaugural history & gives a couple of pointers on local taverns where you could find suitable potables if you happen to be in DC for the event.
(Assuming you can actually get close enough to the bar to place an order. I have a feeling you’d be better off carrying a flask.)
It’s interesting that Felten cites the handover from (JQ) Adams to Jackson as an example of free-handed liquid hospitality. The reference is certainly apt:
Jackson was swept into office as a representative of we-the-people who would bring change to the country. Adams stood for the Old Guard, who hadn’t kept up with the times or the needs of the growing nation. The effusiveness of the crowds who followed Old Hickory to the White House were viewed a clear signs of America headed straight to a populist hell by Adams supporters. The Jacksonians, on the other hand, felt the field of possibilities & hope was wide open for the first time in, well, a long time.
So the parallels are self-evident.
Whether you’re a Champagne sipper or a Black-Jack-rocks fan, this is truly an occasion for making the effort to pour the beverage of your choice & drink to the new administration.
Wine columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter & John Brecher naturally focus on American sparklers. I don’t understand why they didn’t include Roederer Estate amongst their recommendations, especially if they singled out Schramsburg’s Mirabelle instead of their Blanc de Noirs. But, as Leonard Wibberley was wont to remark, de gustibus non est disputandum.
Of course Eric Felten takes us down a more bibulous inaugural history & gives a couple of pointers on local taverns where you could find suitable potables if you happen to be in DC for the event.
(Assuming you can actually get close enough to the bar to place an order. I have a feeling you’d be better off carrying a flask.)
It’s interesting that Felten cites the handover from (JQ) Adams to Jackson as an example of free-handed liquid hospitality. The reference is certainly apt:
Jackson was swept into office as a representative of we-the-people who would bring change to the country. Adams stood for the Old Guard, who hadn’t kept up with the times or the needs of the growing nation. The effusiveness of the crowds who followed Old Hickory to the White House were viewed a clear signs of America headed straight to a populist hell by Adams supporters. The Jacksonians, on the other hand, felt the field of possibilities & hope was wide open for the first time in, well, a long time.
So the parallels are self-evident.
Whether you’re a Champagne sipper or a Black-Jack-rocks fan, this is truly an occasion for making the effort to pour the beverage of your choice & drink to the new administration.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Squat right here
Rather interesting story in Saturday’s Washington Post from their London Bureau Chief about squatters taking advantage of the hard times to take over properties in Britain.
In the US we tend to think of squatting in terms of westerns—a phenomenon of the frontier range lands, not so much an urban experience. You know—the cattlemen hire guns to toss out the squatters spoiling their grazing. Our contemporary homeless don’t seem to take over unoccupied houses, going instead to shelters, parks or doorways.
But in Britain, it’s quite the social statement, partly because appropriating property is a civil, not a criminal, offense, & the burden is on the owners to go through a process that can take months (or longer) to evict the squatters.
According to Wikipedia in 1979 there were an estimated 50,000 squatters throughout Britain, 30,000 in London. (Well, makes sense, doesn’t it: if rent money is no object, why would you choose to live in Luton or Glasgow when you can have Picadilly?)
Today’s squatters seem to be a mix of the genuinely homeless (although the reporter didn’t find anyone who said he had no legitimate place to live) & the usual cohort of “artists” & others who spend their time getting up the noses of the establishment instead of, you know, getting a job.
There are a couple of things I find interesting about this. I noticed in my years in Britain that there’s this innate horror at the idea of living anywhere to which you don’t own the deed. Paying rent “is just throwing your money away”, so people will mooch off their friends & families for months (or longer) until they can “get on the property ladder”.
I can sort of understand this, given the landlord-lessee laws that weigh heavily in the formers’ favor (& the fact that there’s nothing like what we would recognize here as apartment complexes & management companies: flats in a huge building will be individually owned & rented out, & you’re lucky if the landlord will fork out money for a management service to take care of things that go wrong). But the idea that the ’rents or your college buddies should subsidize you while you rack up a deposit instead of you actually living independently just strikes me as rather entitlement-infused.
The other thing I find odd is that the Brits are so wishy-washy about property rights. Not only is squatting viewed as a sort of stick-it-to-the-man cocked snook that does no real harm to anyone (although I wonder whether the average owner of a detached semi in Hampshire would be quite so blasé if he returned from a month in his vacation villa in Majorca to find twelve “artists” in residence), but there’s also a legal right for walkers to cross land belonging to private parties. If any property owner should dare to fence off his land, you’d hear the squawking in Uganda.
Now, this is just bizarre, given that the template for Thomas Jefferson’s inalienable rights of “life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness” came from John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government. Locke, the Enlightenment philosopher of law & the social contract, declared that the function of legitimate government is to preserve, so far as possible, the rights to life, health, liberty & property of its citizens.
Somehow that idea got transferred to the Colonies & transmuted in the mother country.
In the US we tend to think of squatting in terms of westerns—a phenomenon of the frontier range lands, not so much an urban experience. You know—the cattlemen hire guns to toss out the squatters spoiling their grazing. Our contemporary homeless don’t seem to take over unoccupied houses, going instead to shelters, parks or doorways.
But in Britain, it’s quite the social statement, partly because appropriating property is a civil, not a criminal, offense, & the burden is on the owners to go through a process that can take months (or longer) to evict the squatters.
According to Wikipedia in 1979 there were an estimated 50,000 squatters throughout Britain, 30,000 in London. (Well, makes sense, doesn’t it: if rent money is no object, why would you choose to live in Luton or Glasgow when you can have Picadilly?)
Today’s squatters seem to be a mix of the genuinely homeless (although the reporter didn’t find anyone who said he had no legitimate place to live) & the usual cohort of “artists” & others who spend their time getting up the noses of the establishment instead of, you know, getting a job.
There are a couple of things I find interesting about this. I noticed in my years in Britain that there’s this innate horror at the idea of living anywhere to which you don’t own the deed. Paying rent “is just throwing your money away”, so people will mooch off their friends & families for months (or longer) until they can “get on the property ladder”.
I can sort of understand this, given the landlord-lessee laws that weigh heavily in the formers’ favor (& the fact that there’s nothing like what we would recognize here as apartment complexes & management companies: flats in a huge building will be individually owned & rented out, & you’re lucky if the landlord will fork out money for a management service to take care of things that go wrong). But the idea that the ’rents or your college buddies should subsidize you while you rack up a deposit instead of you actually living independently just strikes me as rather entitlement-infused.
The other thing I find odd is that the Brits are so wishy-washy about property rights. Not only is squatting viewed as a sort of stick-it-to-the-man cocked snook that does no real harm to anyone (although I wonder whether the average owner of a detached semi in Hampshire would be quite so blasé if he returned from a month in his vacation villa in Majorca to find twelve “artists” in residence), but there’s also a legal right for walkers to cross land belonging to private parties. If any property owner should dare to fence off his land, you’d hear the squawking in Uganda.
Now, this is just bizarre, given that the template for Thomas Jefferson’s inalienable rights of “life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness” came from John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government. Locke, the Enlightenment philosopher of law & the social contract, declared that the function of legitimate government is to preserve, so far as possible, the rights to life, health, liberty & property of its citizens.
Somehow that idea got transferred to the Colonies & transmuted in the mother country.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Third Saturday
This being the third Saturday of the month, I walked the labyrinth at Lake Washington United Methodist Church.
I really needed the anchoring because this turned out to be a hellish week. I’ve been feeling like a fish out of water in my department, and Friday there was a meeting that had me looking for the melted watches dripping over the tree branches.
So I was glad that this is the weekend for the walk.
It was a struggle for me to shed all the nonsense of the week, to clear my mind enough so that I could concentrate on the actual path before me. But that’s the whole point, isn’t it? I managed it, although I had to shake it off because it crept up on me part-way through.
In the end, I felt like I left the labyrinth in a better state than I’d entered it; but I still have miles to go.
One of the Labyrinth Keepers gave me some leads to outdoor labyrinths in the area. None of them is easily accessible—they’re either across water or require that you call ahead. But they’re something I can hold on to.
I really needed the anchoring because this turned out to be a hellish week. I’ve been feeling like a fish out of water in my department, and Friday there was a meeting that had me looking for the melted watches dripping over the tree branches.
So I was glad that this is the weekend for the walk.
It was a struggle for me to shed all the nonsense of the week, to clear my mind enough so that I could concentrate on the actual path before me. But that’s the whole point, isn’t it? I managed it, although I had to shake it off because it crept up on me part-way through.
In the end, I felt like I left the labyrinth in a better state than I’d entered it; but I still have miles to go.
One of the Labyrinth Keepers gave me some leads to outdoor labyrinths in the area. None of them is easily accessible—they’re either across water or require that you call ahead. But they’re something I can hold on to.
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