Job loyalty - pardon my rant

[mitchntx]

I have worked for TXU for 24 years the 15th of this month. I love my job, I'm good at it and want to retire from TXU.

But that changed Thursday. I don't think I will see retirement age with TXU.

TXU "outsourced" a significant chunk of the workforce. 2 years ago, they outsourced HR, procurement and IT to CapGemeni. Thursday, they outsourced admin/clerical, maintenance services, a huge portion of engineering, QC, procurement and project management to Shaw.

TXU wants my loyalty to the company ... to do my very best to amke the plant where I work and the company that owns it a world leader. Yet their loyalty is the bottom line.

Their focus is no longer on company assets, rather the shareholder's assets.

I am very torn about this. Not only about my future and what will I do after TXU, but the personal stake I've given this "family". I've had to deal with a lot of death in my family this past year and this feels like an extension of that.

Everything I had worked toward, dreamed about and, yes, counted one, is all of sudden an aparition.

I hate the fact that US business is now ALL about the money and noting about how it gets there.

I was brought up believing in a few simple values. One of them was dance with the one that brought you. I've done that, but feel left at the alter.

thanks for the rant ...

[Mike Bell]

Mitch,

No amount of anxiety can change the fact that the workplace of our fathers no longer exists. It is gone, sadly. Corporate earnings reports have become the barometer of a company's health and performance, stockholder returns are more important than employee loyalty.

I'm not sure which happened first, employees jumping ship taking whatever offer for a few $$ more per year or companies sticking it to their loyal employees to save a buck on paper, but the dismal situation exists all over the place now. Investing in people is a risky and expensive proposition, golden handcuffs like stock options or long-term benefits were a stop-gap measure to retain key employees but eventually they failed to keep up with lucrative offers from the competition.

Those loyal employees who pass up the lure of such offers are offered little in the way of compensation for years of service. Sure, stick around and get seniority and training available but when the Board is going to use the quarterly earnings report to decide who stays and who gets a pink slip it is an ulcer-producing situation. Aquisitions and Mergers are blood-lettings for loyal employees as Corporations decide that there is money to be saved by laying off duplicate services or positions.

A good friend of mine just got laid-off after 25 years with one firm. We spent a few hours last Saturday night discussing this very topic over a few cold ones, the end result is that nobody is safe, there is no more quid-pro-quo when it comes to loyalty/service/profits. My advice: Keep your eye on the big picture and look out for yourself as I'm pretty sure that the "firm" isn't looking out for your best interests anymore.

Just my $.02

[Boudy]

Very well put Mike. Cold hard reality. I've seen this in TXU for years Mitch, sorry to hear it came around your way. As a contractor for TXU we watched several of the key personel within TXU that we worked with get early retired or just plain cut loose. Shortly after, they cut us loose and put 20+ technicians on the street and dumped the work onto your IT guys. Well, as you know, it didn't take em' long after that to send all the IT guys to CapGemeni. Some of my former techs at CapGemeni tell me that they are 1/4 staffed and the equipment is falling apart around them. They are hoping that the next cheif-in-charge sees the light to the disaster being created.

I wish you well and the best of luck my friend.

Boudy

[AllZWay]

Mitch... now that you bring this up.... I have been at my current employer for 11 years and very loyal. I turned down offers and opportunities...mostly because I am in a comfortable rut.

But due to some of the things you mentioned... I was approached about changing jobs. I first decided not to interview, but decided that I owed it to myself to at least entertain other offers.

Don't know yet if I will change jobs, but I will talk with them this week sometime.

I just don't see this company making until I am of retirement age.

[NASA13]

Sad but true mike
My Dad worked for the same company for 44+ years and had to take his retirement 3 years early to avoid layoff. Believe it or not.

The mentality of everyone these days is definitely "look out for # 1"
I constantly see people jumping ship for more money etc.
The companies sure dont show any loyalty though.
Outsourcing is so prevalent now I am not sure if I have talked to a CSR on the mainland for a few years. We spend millions now to teach foreigners how to talk like Americans so we can pay them pennies on the dollar.
Like Mike said, I dont know which came first, but either way, we are screwed. :?

[Todd Covini]

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

Huge eyeopener here.
Mitch...has TXU switched over to SAP in the recent years?
I've been a loyal employee for years and am still in that comfortable loyalty family thing...but....I'm in the process of creating a separate company within ExxonMobil for "Global Services" which contains....HR, Procurement and IT! (...wait a minute!!!)

Anyway...I know that SAP systems provide a ton of efficiencies but I wonder if the marketing model for those Germans provide the same type of "lopping" of services to improve shareholder value.

-=- Todd

[mitchntx]

It is beginning to look like TXU will comprised of a Board of Directors, Sr. management and mid managers ...

All they will be doing is contract negotiations and bean counting.

[David Love AI27]

When I got into this racing thing I had a decent contract with SBC (now AT&T) and it was hard enough to get my first car and pay for al the other crap... now I have two cars and NO job... Sorry if I'm not sympathetic, maybe you should check the job market before complaining about the one you got... You guys have NO idea what it is trying to figure out if you should pay the light bill or preregister for the next event to try and save the late fees... Sorry... Am I at the right place, is the the "rant" room

[CMC17]

When I got into this racing thing I had a decent contract with SBC (now AT&T) and it was hard enough to get my first car and pay for al the other crap... now I have two cars and NO job... Sorry if I'm not sympathetic, maybe you should check the job market before complaining about the one you got... You guys have NO idea what it is trying to figure out if you should pay the light bill or preregister for the next event to try and save the late fees... Sorry... Am I at the right place, is the the "rant" room

:shock: :shock: :shock:

[Boudy]

Sorry Dude! But, we do know what you're going through. I remember driving my butt off in the B-main to get to the A. Not because I had a chance at winning the A, but because I needed the $50 for starting the A to cover my methonol bill at the fuel truck.

Sure things are better now but the point of this rant is the lack of loyalty in the workplace. And since you are unemployeed at the moment, I think you can agree with that one can't you?

Pay your lightbill and I'll cover your late fee. See you at the track.

Boudy