Timeline for Can layoffs have a "positive" effect for a business due to the remaining employees thinking "If I don't work harder, I may be the next"?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
19 events
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| Apr 30, 2020 at 12:05 | comment | added | motosubatsu♦ | @Qiulang I can't really speak to China - I'm UK based and here a competent dev's age is much less of a impediment than it sounds like it is there. But if there is some x factor besides raw competence limiting employability then all that does is turn your Timmys and your Spikes into Johnnys - the fear approach might produce a short term uptick in productivity, but ultimately you can't get around the fact that they're only human and will end up less productive overall, either through burnout or bitterness. | |
| Apr 30, 2020 at 9:51 | comment | added | Qiulang 邱朗 | @motosubatsu when I first asked this question I don't believe anyone would see covid-19 become a global crisis. But one of my concerns is that don't take for granted that you will always find a decent job. I don't know about US, but here in Beijing (or China) it is hard for a guy over 40 (like me) to find a software engineer job. :$ | |
| Apr 30, 2020 at 9:43 | comment | added | motosubatsu♦ | @Qiulang Not really - we still don't really know what the world's going to look like when the current pandemic winds down, but so far I've not seen anything to change the views I laid out in my answer. | |
| Apr 30, 2020 at 4:01 | comment | added | Qiulang 邱朗 | @motosubatsu as covid-19 become pandemic and I see you answers several questions about it, I was wondering have you gained more insight about my question :D | |
| Mar 6, 2020 at 2:44 | comment | added | Qiulang 邱朗 | @motosubatsu I got one comment pointing to me this article sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0749597885900147 "Layoffs, self-esteem, and survivor guilt: Motivational, affective, and attitudinal consequences" That was the answer I was looking for, a real research! | |
| Mar 4, 2020 at 11:51 | comment | added | RedSonja | You missed out, that when someone starts measuring how much code people write, they produce more. Copy and paste is your friend. Why make a function when you can copy the code 5 times? More, but not better in any way, in fact worse, but not so your manager can tell. | |
| Mar 3, 2020 at 18:41 | comment | added | Graham | @Qiulang The point is that Johnny is already a top-notch programmer. The boss's "achievement" is to turn a top-notch programmer into either a mediocre programmer who will slack off, or an absent programmer who's taken his top-notch skills to another company. That other company may even be a direct competitor, in which case he's not only taken his skills over there, but also his knowledge of where your company is weakest, and given him an incentive to screw over your company. The whole point is that the only "lesson" anyone learns is that the boss is a disrespectful idiot. | |
| S Mar 3, 2020 at 16:30 | history | suggested | Chieron | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
typos/grammar
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| Mar 3, 2020 at 16:29 | review | Suggested edits | |||
| S Mar 3, 2020 at 16:30 | |||||
| Mar 3, 2020 at 15:41 | comment | added | aherocalledFrog | @Qiulang The manager is incentivized to keep the fear going because it worked. He tried something new and received positive results. If he was a decent enough manager and/or person to stop when business improves he probably wouldn't have taken this tactic in the first place. Plus, the manager is probably worried for his own job, giving him even more incentive to keep the pressure on. | |
| Mar 3, 2020 at 14:20 | comment | added | Robin Bennett | @motosubatsu - Chad should have been sacked long before the layoffs. This company is insulting its workers by implying they are all Chads, and its managers by implying that they are unable to handle them. | |
| Mar 3, 2020 at 14:08 | comment | added | motosubatsu♦ | @RobinBennett You would hope that Chad and his ilk would have been the one's to go in the first round of layoffs. If not then I shudder to think who did! | |
| Mar 3, 2020 at 12:39 | comment | added | motosubatsu♦ | @Qiulang Sure the boss may not do that, and Johnny may learn some cosmic lesson and become a model employee. It's not likely though. And if it does you're going to have a Johnny with a newly revitalized work ethic and every reason to flip the boss who terrorized them the bird on their way out. And yes I agree that the coronavirus scenario may induce remaining people to work harder but it's time limited, the crisis won't last forever. And as soon as it finishes the boss is going to have an unhappy team looking to get out ASAP. | |
| Mar 3, 2020 at 12:23 | comment | added | Qiulang 邱朗 | I agree most of what you said. Here are what I may not agree. 1 "So he keeps the fear going, after all if Johnny feels secure again he might start to slack! " The boss may not do that. If business goes well, no need to layoff people again. 2. It is possible Johnny learns a lesson from it and indeed becomes a better programmer. And about the special circumstance like coronavirus, to survive becomes the 1st priority and everyone knows that and the remaining workers may worker harder. | |
| Mar 3, 2020 at 11:52 | comment | added | Robin Bennett | That's true for those people but what about 'Chad', who spends most of the day on his phone, and the rest doing as little as possible? | |
| Mar 3, 2020 at 10:43 | comment | added | motosubatsu♦ | @Qiulang re: your other question - I think it's interesting, it wouldn't surprise me if there's some stats on this, if I get some time later I'll have a look | |
| Mar 3, 2020 at 10:42 | comment | added | motosubatsu♦ | @Qiulang don't worry I know this is your boss' harebrained scheme not yours :) | |
| Mar 3, 2020 at 10:41 | comment | added | Qiulang 邱朗 | Thanks for the detailed answer, let me think about it before I get back to you. But I have to say it loud. This is my boss idea not me. I asked another one workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/154266/…, care to take a look ? | |
| Mar 3, 2020 at 10:33 | history | answered | motosubatsu♦ | CC BY-SA 4.0 |