394
submitted 9 months ago by L4s@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

Google’s CEO faces employee questions about layoffs — “Why has there been such an extraordinary effort to limit the internal visibility of layoffs announcements?”::During a recent TGIF all-hands meeting, Google CEO Sundar Pichai addressed what sources describe as a growing morale crisis inside the company.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] five82@lemmy.world 74 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I’ve been working in tech for close to thirty years now mostly with larger tech and financial companies. For my parent’s and grandparent’s generation, you could reasonably expect lifetime employment at the same company. Work well and you’ll be treated well.

This started to change when I began working in the 90s and especially after the 2001 and 2008 recessions. Since then, it’s gotten much worse.

Companies don’t want to treat all employees well anymore, just their top talent that they want to retain. Who cares what the rest think because they’re transient anyway and won’t be around for more than a few years. Build around your top people and view the others as interchangeable parts.

Don’t bother investing in the rest of your employees. Just hire when needed, fire those you don’t like, who aren’t a good fit, and who are too old. Firing is one of their top tools if they want a quick cost reduction to boost their stock price.

Maintaining the upper hand of the employee/employer power dynamic is much more desirable than properly treating the people who work for you. If the employees don’t like it, they know where the door is. They’re replaceable anyway. That’s why employees have lost the RTO battles.

As an older worker, I despise how cutthroat the corporate world is now. I feel like I’m about to be tossed out with the trash.

[-] porkchop@lemm.ee 18 points 9 months ago

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but what’s stopping tech workers still at Google from unionizing?

[-] lapping6596@lemmy.world 26 points 9 months ago

I work in tech as well, and I think the biggest reason is workplace mobility. Working at Google famously makes it easy go get a new job.

When work has sucked for me, I went job hunting not trying to fix a broken system

[-] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 1 points 9 months ago

Some situations look more favourable in the rearview, yes.

[-] kurap1ka@lemmy.world 22 points 9 months ago

Well everyone is being told they are special and top talent until they aren't. Then it's to late since there is a stigma attached and others don't want their shadow cast in them.

[-] Ilflish@lemm.ee 17 points 9 months ago

This is interesting because firings I've been involved with nearly always cut the important staff first because they make the most. The more valuable, the more you get paid and therefore the more you save when they go.

[-] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 6 points 9 months ago

cut the important staff first

Tell us your management are idiots without using those words.

The "dead sea effect" is detailed as a thing to avoid; your management seems to want to wade in it.

[-] Ilflish@lemm.ee 1 points 9 months ago

I am, but also, this is at multiple reputable places so it's a trend more than just one shitty business. It could also just be companies are less likely to let people stay with them in good faith and it might be about new blood coming in to organise

[-] Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago

I worked at a big company, after 16 years they let me and many of my coworkers go. I ended up at a late stage start up. They were starting to become more "corporate". Now I work at an early stage start up. They actually care. I am not sure I will ever take a job with a company that is publicly traded again.

[-] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 3 points 9 months ago

My plan, if I leave the massive corporate entity I'm currently at is to find work at a place with 2 digit employee numbers.

Trying to get the right things done at a huge company makes government burocracy look like a model of efficiency.

[-] aesthelete@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

Internally they're all like, "why can't we work like a startup?"...partially because of you, Mr. Senior VP of golden parachutes.

this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2024
394 points (95.0% liked)

Technology

59689 readers
1934 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS