[Ikeon]

Company’s have been getting rid of older more experienced employees the last few years. It will take a few years before things start breaking that no one can fix because “ jim” was the guy who usually “ took care of that” and he retired. ... Ive never seen a company admit they should have kept jim.

[SaveFerris]

[Company’s have been getting rid of older more experienced employees the last few years]

More than a few years. Especially since the 2008 crash, IMHO.

[Spktyr]

Jim gets called back as a contractor at 3x+ his pay as an employee. I’ve seen it a lot.

[hinckley buzzard]

Well said.

[ridesthemiles]

Participation Trophies are not the same as PAYCHeCKS

[Joe 6-pack]

"Company’s have been getting rid of older more experienced employees the last few years. It will take a few years before things start breaking that no one can fix because “ jim” was the guy who usually “ took care of that” and he retired. ... Ive never seen a company admit they should have kept jim."

I've noted on past threads that my professional career began in the military, where it was often stated, "Nobody is irreplaceable." Any time I heard it, it was not a slight or intended to diminish the value of any individual, but more to serve as a reminder that any soldier could be suddenly called to step up to the plate to fill the boots of the person above them.

When I transitioned to the private sector, a lot of managers and executives casually would say, "Anybody can be replaced," and usually when they said that it was dripping with contempt, and usually directed at an individual. When I heard it, I usually took it in the context of that manager or executive indulging in self-aggrandizement and what they were really saying is, "I can replace him/her/you." In theory, yes, anybody can be replaced, and certainly that manager or executive probably had the authority to "replace," the person they were talking to, or about. What struck me as highly peculiar is that it seemed these power tripping managers or executives in privately owned, for-profit organizations cavalierly would talk about replacing current employees, seemingly without considering what it would actually cost to replace them, particularly in terms of training, experience, institutional knowledge, established relationships with clients, etc.

Yes, anybody can be replaced, and sometimes it is quite necessary to do so, but generally, and certainly with a long established employee, it would be wise to quietly think long and hard about the real cost(s) of replacing somebody rather than loudly and casually tossing about how easy it would be to do so.