You’re fired, now train the new guy

MSNBC ^ | 8/10/2003 | ASSOCIATED PRESS

[Willie Green]

Tech workers asked to instruct their overseas replacements

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 10 — Scott Kirwin clung to his job at a large investment bank through several rounds of layoffs last year. Friends marveled at the computer programmer´s ability to dodge pink slips during the worst technology downturn in a decade. But it was tough for Kirwin, 36, to relish his final assignment: training a group of programmers from India who would replace him within a year.

       “THEY CALLED IT 'knowledge acquisition,”´ the Wilmington, Del., resident said. “We got paid our normal salaries to train people to do our jobs. The market was so bad we couldn´t really do anything about it, so we taught our replacements.”
       Finally laid off in April, Kirwin sent out 225 resumes before landing a temporary position without benefits at a smaller bank — and swallowing a 20 percent pay cut.
       Kirwin is among what appears to be a growing number of American technology workers training their foreign replacements — a humiliating assignment many say they assume unwittingly or reluctantly, simply to stay on the job longer or secure a meager severance package.

[LibWhacker]

. . . simply to stay on the job longer or secure a meager severance package.

Not worth it. Just quit, no notice.

[harpseal]

Duplicate thread here. Not your fault you used the MSNBC title which reprinted the AP story

[bedolido]

That's what's happening to me right now... we're training some programmers from India and our Price Maintenance system is being out-sourced to India by the end of this year. I work for a major grocery retailer (It's Your Store) and it's maddening.

About 2 years ago we had some layoffs. Before the released the layoff list, they bullet proofed the windows of the CEO and repainted all the "Private Parking" areas for the big-wigs.

This is really bad news for high tech programmers.

[Hodar]

Not worth it. Just quit, no notice.

I don't think you understand. Professionals who walk off the job, have a really hard time getting a new job. Would YOU hire an engineer who walked off his last job for your multi-million dollar project? I wouldn't.

The other half of the severance goes something like this. You get severance 4-36 weeks pay (depending upon company and time at your job), if you agree to work until date 'x', in addition to getting your stock options exercised early without penalty (again, this depends). You also can use your past employer as a personal reference for your next job, stating quite honestly that you lost your job due to a 'business downturn' and that your job loss has nothing to do with your job performance. Some companies give you a letter stating exactly that, which certainly helps at the next interview.

So, either way you are out of work. Play ball, and you walk away with medical insurance, a good reputation and several thousand dollars. Or, walk off and lose the medical insurance, ruin your reputation as a dependable worker, and forfeit the money when you will need it the most.

Storming off, would FEEL good for the first couple of hours.... but conservatives act on thought, not feelings.

[Hodar]

Can someone tell me what we're getting in return from India that's worth exporting a good portion of our jobs there?

US programmer/IT professional ~$100K/yr
India programmer /IT professional ~$50K/yr

[bedolido]

Can someone tell me what we're getting in return from India that's worth exporting a good portion of our jobs there?

We're getting nothing in return. The companies that do it are getting programmers at $5.00 a week (not sure what the difference really is). The USA Corporations believe they'll save money buy out-sourcing. A major job cost in all businesses are employees and their benefits.

[dfwgator]

It's not just about saving money. These corporate decision makers are being sold that Indian companies are better than their American counterparts. They tout the fact that more Indian firms have achieved Level 5 CMM certification, and that the success rates of offshored projects while not great, is actually higher than that of in-house projects. If indeed this is the case it would probably be due to the fact that offshoring requires much more upfront analysis and detailed specs, which are usually not done for inhouse-based projects at that level of detail. The point is that, whether it is true or not, managers believe that they are getting better quality by offshoring. I guess only time will tell.

[dfwgator]

The US market is saturated, companies are looking to China and India as the newest untapped markets, the US market is now an afterthought. It's simple math, 2 billion people vs. 300 million.

[pt17]

Just wait till these companies find out how bad this cheap labor can mess up their systems. I've seen it happen twice now. There's no free lunch but we've got a new crop of corporate, bean-counting twits, some of whom are going to to learn this the hard way. There is, of course, always the law of unintended consequences in these situations.

[hayfried]

First of all, you need to establish a network that provides you with leads. Secondly, you need to build a reputation within that network such that one a$$hole boss making disparaging remarks about your work can't hurt you.

Once you're in that position, when you're asked to train your replacements, you quit your job immediately, wait for the company to start to melt down, then sell your services back as a consultant for twice your original salary.

[theDentist]

I had thi shappen to me once. They then used the term "redundancing". In that dept, we referred to each others as the "reduncers", because we were stupidly putting outselves out of work and yet holding on for the last possible check.

[dfwgator]

Also, write articles for publications, attend conferences (and give presentations). It is the only way you are going to be able to survive in IT.

[mommybain]

US programmer/IT professional ~$100K/yr
India programmer /IT professional ~$50K/yr

What no one can tell you yet is what the long-term benefit of this madness is going to be. What this IT professional who still has her job while surrounded by Indian contracters (this week, anyway) is hoping is that the American companies that insist on outsourcing get exactly what they pay for.

[Mini-14]

300 Winchester Magnum not good enough? Try the 50 BMG.

[contessa machiaveli]

please, i want to ban the silly euphemism "outsourcing".

[Solamente]

I was listening to an Indian IT 2 nights ago on the Batchelor & Alexander Show (WABC Radio,) and he stated that a US IT getting 105k is up against an Indian IT equivalent for 12k.

Not 50k!

[Petruchio]

What those money hungry Corps. fail to understand is that with no jobs here there is no money to buy thier products.

No sales = no business