Tuesday, August 23, 2016

The Game...

I wanted to share a story - one that I feel many of my friends can relate to or might find interesting.  It is a story of how the corporate world works, and how big companies lose sight of the employees that make the company great.

It is not a specific person, or a specific company. I heard the story and have decided to share it because it resonates with me, and will likely resonate with others.  The person who shared it and the company that they work for will remain anonymous (for now).

The Game.

Paula had previously worked in small to medium sized companies, and the kinds of work had varied: from sales, to marketing, to management roles, to Jack-of-all-trades. She had pretty much done it all at one point or another. And loved it. 

Paula was forever grateful for the opportunity to work for Acme.  The company was very diverse in its offerings and holdings, providing fantastic chances for promotion and professional growth. It was also one of those companies was older, but was trying to embrace the new way of work: telecommuting, unlimited personal time, flexible schedules, and a casual work environment. 

One of her fellow employees once talked about how employees were constantly leaving Acme to work at the other companies in the area, and Paula had seem some of it. It was almost the sport in the region – leave one company to work at the next. Leave that company to go back to work at the old one.  But this was not a sport that Paula was accustomed to, nor one that she wanted to participate.  Maybe she was old fashioned, but her experiences at smaller companies had allowed her to invest a piece of herself into her work, and the company usually awarded her investment.

Paula had been working at the company for a while, and thought she has seen it all.  There had been mergers and acquisitions. There had been the usual turnover that you would expect of a company the size of Acme*. But things are have steadily gotten worse.

Another big merger, another shake up in the executive suite. The CEO was driven to improve the stock price at nearly any cost, as he was hired by the board to do exactly this. OR ELSE!

So Paula was concerned – really concerned – for her job for the first time in her career. Even though she had exceled at everything she had been specifically asked to do, her responsibilities did not really fit into the core of the organization, and it was obvious to Paula that she should be concerned.  

In fact, Paula described the situation as “The Game” and to her it looked something like this:

Imagine a game of musical chairs, much like you likely played in elementary school.  You know the game is going on and some members of your team are playing, but you are not allowed to play. You know that eventually there will be the one chair remaining, and since you are not playing, you are certain to lose.

And even worse, the same game is going on in other places in the company. But since the company has closed ALL - meaning EVERY - hiring requisition, you are not allowed to play in those games either, even if you would be a really great fit in that game (team).

This was the state of Acme for Paula. It was the worst feeling she had ever had as an employee. Managers, directors and VPs all tried (unconvincingly) to convince everyone to keep on playing the game and that everything would be alright. But the truth of the matter is that they didn’t know any more than anyone else – that their confidence was a screen to try (again, unconvincingly) to reassure the employees.

So, Paula – with years of experience and skills on her resume – decide that it was time to leave. Acme had been a great company to work for, but the lack of direction and the poor communication (from the very top) was just too much. Besides, there were many other positions that she would like to do and that would likely progress her career more if she would take them. She would always be thankful to Acme for the opportunities afforded to her, but she had to look out for herself and her family. 

The greatest irony: when she leaves, her managers and co-workers will not understand why.

I feel for Paula, as I have been in this kind of position myself (even recently). I hope it works out for her. I also hope that if you are a manager / director / VP / executive that is part of a merger of this type, that you remember the employees. They are more than numbers, and it is impossible to address every concern individually without talking to the individual.

* Pretty sure the company is not Acme, in case you were curious.