Has your office/company laid people off? PART 4

[pheoxs]

Originally posted by dandia89


were the 2 people let go the same as new hires? probably premeditated hires to replace low performers

Different people, kinda looks like it. They keep letting go certain roles and hire for different roles all together. Basically re-shaping the whole office while also culling performance issues.

[bjstare]

Originally posted by pheoxs


Different people, kinda looks like it. They keep letting go certain roles and hire for different roles all together. Basically re-shaping the whole office while also culling performance issues.

Sounds like a great strategy, this is a good time to be doing that.

We could use more of that where I work.

[Disoblige]

Originally posted by cjblair


Sounds like a great strategy, this is a good time to be doing that.

We could use more of that where I work.

Same.

[carson blocks]

Originally posted by dandia89


were the 2 people let go the same as new hires? probably premeditated hires to replace low performers

Or, premeditated hires with much less experience at a much lower rate, to replace older, more experienced but more expensive staff. The place you work (if I remember correctly) is really bad for that right now, both directly and by portioning out work as managed services contracts to the lowest bidder.

The winning supplier promptly brings on the youngest, dumbest, cheapest staff possible and gets rid of the expensive guys (usually $$ contractors). In my experience, they're getting 1/4 of the work at 3/4 of the price, but as long as they're saving money I guess....

Anecdote: I know of one particular situation where the existing contractor (not cheap, admittedly) was performing a specific measurable task at the rate of ~15-25/week by himself with a perfect quality score when audited. The new hires are trying to perform the same task with 2 guys, and still managing ~5/week with multiple quality failures. The client is getting ripped off in a big way, but to the beancounters, it looks like 'saving money' as they have no concept of value.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by carson blocks


Or, premeditated hires with much less experience at a much lower rate, to replace older, more experienced but more expensive staff. The place you work (if I remember correctly) is really bad for that right now, both directly and by portioning out work as managed services contracts to the lowest bidder.

The winning supplier promptly brings on the youngest, dumbest, cheapest staff possible and gets rid of the expensive guys (usually $$ contractors). In my experience, they're getting 1/4 of the work at 3/4 of the price, but as long as they're saving money I guess....

Anecdote: I know of one particular situation where the existing contractor (not cheap, admittedly) was performing a specific measurable task at the rate of ~15-25/week by himself with a perfect quality score when audited. The new hires are trying to perform the same task with 2 guys, and still managing ~5/week with multiple quality failures. The client is getting ripped off in a big way, but to the beancounters, it looks like 'saving money' as they have no concept of value.

Looks good in front of bean counters. Get promotions out of the current role before client bitches about SLA.

Profit.

[avishal26]

Contractors at major EPC taking 20% cuts to pay, on top of prbly close to 10 - 15% cuts last year. No cuts to staff yet, but very 'limited' raises this year for staff.

Remember EPC's don't really give out bonuses... your base salary is pretty much it.

[dandia89]

Originally posted by carson blocks


Or, premeditated hires with much less experience at a much lower rate, to replace older, more experienced but more expensive staff. The place you work (if I remember correctly) is really bad for that right now, both directly and by portioning out work as managed services contracts to the lowest bidder.

The winning supplier promptly brings on the youngest, dumbest, cheapest staff possible and gets rid of the expensive guys (usually $$ contractors). In my experience, they're getting 1/4 of the work at 3/4 of the price, but as long as they're saving money I guess....

Anecdote: I know of one particular situation where the existing contractor (not cheap, admittedly) was performing a specific measurable task at the rate of ~15-25/week by himself with a perfect quality score when audited. The new hires are trying to perform the same task with 2 guys, and still managing ~5/week with multiple quality failures. The client is getting ripped off in a big way, but to the beancounters, it looks like 'saving money' as they have no concept of value.

i wouldn't put it past them. this seems like it's more a reality than my statement. I don't know if you're referencing my old company but they are definitely doing this in extreme measures.

[riander5]

Originally posted by avishal26
Contractors at major EPC taking 20% cuts to pay, on top of prbly close to 10 - 15% cuts last year. No cuts to staff yet, but very 'limited' raises this year for staff.

Remember EPC's don't really give out bonuses... your base salary is pretty much it.

Contractors cant bill at 120 - 150 $ / hr anymore? Boohoo

[Perfect Dark]

Our company just announced that we are shutting down our Canadian manufacturing facility and moving it all back down to Houston. Service side was untouched.

[cosmok]

Looks like JACOS is shutting in production soon as well

[Darkane]

Originally posted by cosmok
Looks like JACOS is shutting in production soon as well

Link?

[XylathaneGTR]

Heard of a few more cuts at a local major pipeline co. today...
Edit; source: one guy was on one of my projects...key word: was.

[avishal26]

Originally posted by riander5


Contractors cant bill at 120 - 150 $ / hr anymore? Boohoo

I can assure you no one was billing out at $120 an hour to begin with. And it is not like they cut the higher paid contractors, it was across the board.

[Feruk]

Originally posted by avishal26
I can assure you no one was billing out at $120 an hour to begin with.

$120/hour isn't outrageous for a contractor... Or wasn't anyway.

[Cos]

.

[R154]

I'm with COS. My company bills me at 165 an hr. If I have to go to site it's double that plus travel. I have the option to bury my time if I like the customer. But usually I don't. Especially if I have to go to their offices for meetings.

#billablehours

I'm not overtly special either. Just experienced.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Originally posted by Cos


My company was charging me out at $145 an hour (back in 2011) as a Project Manager before I came on here as an employee and I am not some extremely unique and specialized skillset.

Being charged out at that rate, and charging that rate directly are different.

When I worked @ Metafore, I was being charged out at $50/hour, but only seeing $25. At my current company, we've paid $250/hour for specialists, but they weren't making that kind of money directly.

Now I'm an independant contractor, and see 95% of my charge rate, so it's much lower than what I would be billed out at by a 3rd party company.

[EK 2.0]

Originally posted by cjblair


Sounds like a great strategy, this is a good time to be doing that.

We could use more of that where I work.

I feel there are a ton of us that could use this strategy at their workplaces...

[Cos]

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[Sugarphreak]

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