How much help is too much help?

DotDotDash

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Hello folks.

I have a bit of a quandary.

A bit of backstory - I'm a manager for a software testing team. My CEO, being the greedy dog that he is, in an effort to hit his target, grab his bonus, then quit the business, has halved the company's budget. To this end, we are losing a ton of people - and that includes my entire team. I'm being moved to another position, but this is not about me.

What annoys me is the cut throat bullshit that has lead this to pass, and that my entire team is being killed off and outsourced, in an effort for a CEO who doesn't give a shit about the long term viability of the business, just that he makes his target then grabs his bonus and leave - and all this going down 2 weeks short of christmas.

My people don't know about this yet.

Now, I care a lot about my team. I had the luxury of hand picking my staff over the years, autonomously. So all these guys and girls are my personal picks of the bunch. It's burning me, as I sit here surrounded by them, knowing that their days are quickly coming to an end.

I want to try help as much as possible. To that end, I have been nosing around trying to find potential job leads for them, before they even know that they need them - but this is where I hit a stumbling block.

My contacts in recruitment agencies all request resumes. Now, I could technically take these guy's resumes and fill out what they've been doing here and submit them - but that is where my quandary is. I don't know if that's just going too far.

My question is - if you were in the position of my team, would you find it immensely helpful that your boss has ahead of time, located some job prospects, made the contacts and arranged interviews? Or would you feel this is a violation of your privacy? I mean, I could just compile a list of jobs, but any of these guys could do that my loading a job seeker's website in five minutes. I'd like to try get them as close to getting new employment as possible, and just giving them a print out of some potential leads just seems not enough.

But on the flipside, I don't know if people would appreciate this kind of assistance.

Pure Din

Is there a reason why you can't just tell them? I think the best thing to do would be to give them the leads, and have a really good letter of recommendation ready for each of them. If you start applying to other jobs for them, you don't know if they are actually willing to work at these places, and if the companies start doing background checks and such it will probably get back to them anyway.

dispatch.o

CEOs have to answer to an executive board. If he's doing that much damage, the board should be notified and they can fire his ass.

Just take the time to write them all outstanding letters

Doc

Why not tell your team now? If he could fire you and still hit his targets, you'd be getting the axe along with these other guys.

Gork

dispatch.o wrote: »

CEOs have to answer to an executive board. If he's doing that much damage, the board should be notified and they can fire his ass.

Just take the time to write them all outstanding letters

Cutting the budget while hitting his targets will make the board extremely happy. As a CEO, firing people and outsourcing does not equal damage.

I'm assuming you can't ask them now because you can't say anything until the CEO does it. If you do anything and word gets back to the CEO before he informs them, and with a decent number of people you're going to help, it well could, you could be in trouble and you've violated the trust imbued in you as a manager.

I would suggest offering the help after the news comes.

UnknownSaint

I don't see why you need to do the legwork on them finding a new job. You are in a position to help them get the jobs you seem to have connections with, but actually setting up interviews before they even know they are going to get canned is too much - plus it puts yourself at risk.

Let them know what's going on and help the ones that are interested in these other jobs any way you can afterwards, but I don't particularly see doing it before they know they are fired as super helpful.

Serpent

Head on over to manager-tools.com and check out their podcasts on layoffs. They suggest helping the layoffees with job searches, and making sure to stay in touch with them.

KyleWPeterson

If this is really happening at your company and is not an exaggeration on your part then I think you should speak with them about them. The key thing to remember though is that you should tell them one-by-one, not as a group. People tend to react in a more cool-headed manner that way.

DotDotDash

I wish it were hyperbole on my part, but it is exactly as I have described. We're in a strange position.

You see, we were a small company. Then, we got bought by a bigger company. As part of that sale, a stipulation was made that the owner (the CEO I refer to) would get an additional payout if after X years we made Y revenue.

Then, that company got bought by another company.

That deal however needed to be preserved, so we've been in a weird and strange state whereby we aren't truly part of the overall company, but must operate in our own strange bubble in order to measure this bonus scheme for the CEO.

So as long as he's not killing the bigger business' revenue stream, the CEO has a lot of autonomy. The scheme as it stands is already a cut back version; the original plan was to outsource everyone barring 2 people (from 20) - but saving half of onshore staff was the compromise.

I realise it's not my responsibility to find these guys new jobs - I want to, because I care about my people.

Appreciate the feedback guys. I suspect that some of this is a weird mutant version of survivor's guilt. It is hard for me personally to deal with my team day to day, talking about the year ahead, knowing that they will not actually be part of any of it.

I'm just flat out disgusted about the whole thing.

Djeet

Do what you can to find positions for your team, mainly if you have contacts looking for help, pimp out your people; when you're in a situation to talk up your people, do so. I would stop short of applying on their behalf (taking their resumes and updating them and forwarding them out would be presumptuous and might not be appreciated anyways).

I'd stop short of telling them mainly out of professionalism. As a manager you're going to be privy to information not available to those whom you manage; it's part of the job, and in this case it sounds like you're in a shitty situation. To tip them off would be what a friend does, but it would also be unprofessional.

It's a personal decision of course. You could say fuck all, these are my friends, I'll tell them and come what may. They'll still get fired and it may lead to outcomes that not only hurt you professionally but also take you out of a position to help them (I assume whomever they apply to will be calling you when checking up on their employment history, and so long as you're at the company you can talk them up, make sure they know they should list you as a reference). Also, who wants a manager who cannot be a firewall for executive-level information?

As one who's managed I'd want to know; as one who manages I understand the other side. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Sorry.

EclecticGroove

Djeet wrote: »

You're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Sorry.

This is pretty much the shitty situation you are in.

It's nice that you actually DO care about more than the bottom line, but no matter how much you like them... overstepping your professional bounds will not help them, and would most likley actually hurt them (taking away a resource) as well as yourself.

Unless you are given the go ahead by your management (preferably in writing) to help these people out as much as you want before they are let go, just try and do what you can before and after they are let go.

Do not submit applications for them or the like, but you know their skill sets, perhaps you can put together a package for each person listing contacts, companies, advice, etc tailored for each one. Maybe a copy of their resume with notes/pointers on it. You could then hand this out to all of them individually when you meet with them and offer any other advice/help you care to after the fact.

Some will undoubtedly still be angry, maybe at you, maybe not, and may not want/need your help... but I'd think the majority would appreciate the time and effort you put into it.

onceling

I would not want anyone to be submitting things for me. Some people may take the opportunity to go back to school, take a break, work with their dad in the pub... whatever. You are better off trying to get them a better severence package.

You wouldn't want them to have to call and cancel an interview, pissing off the company they might actually want to work for just not right now.

noir_blood

If my boss did this, I would appreciate it, but then again I'm one of those that probably would panic if I lost my job.

I'm sure it's difficult, and expect some people to not take things well, or get mad at you, because they'll see it as "why didn't he tell us?"

Vixx

Write letters of recommendation for them. Good ones. Have them ready when the time comes.

Leverage your professional network to see what opportunities you can directly help them get. Do you know any recruiters/headhunters personally? Do you know someone who's working at a company who may be hiring? Ask if they'll consider some of your highly recommended people if you send them in their direction.

Then, when you tell your staff what's up, just let them know that you have some contacts at a variety of companies and will do what you can to help them land on their feet. Those that are interested can give you their resumes, which you simply forward on to your network.

Don't bother applying for job openings for them, that's a waste of time. The best way you can help is by using your network.

Capt Howdy

Vivixenne pretty much nailed it. You need to keep your job, doing so helps them. Talk up everyone you know that can get them a job.

If you want, look for people who would want to hire them. Put in a great word for them and get their cards. Hand your team excellent letters of recomendation and the cards/numbers of the people you talked with.

RUNN1NGMAN

I guarantee if these people are half as good as you say they are, they all pretty much know what's coming. Corporate management isn't exactly MI-6. People hear shit around the office and put 2 and 2 together. If they aren't dumb as rocks, they've already put feelers out about new jobs.