How Much of Working in Startup Tech is a Scam?
Check out the episode. There’s some interesting discussion. Sadly, even when asked for something positive to end on, the guest had nothing. That’s kind of what working in tech feels like, doesn’t it?
Shared Links (weekly) April 16, 2023
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There’s No Such Thing As A “Dream Job” Anymore– As I’ve said earlier this week, younger workers are watching. Is it any wonder they are forgoing W2 employment in favor of other options?
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The Importance Of Upskilling And Continuous Learning In 2023
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Listening Between the Lines– good training involves a lot of this. There are some good tips in this post.
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SEC Proposes Sweeping New Cybersecurity Rules: Is Your Company Prepared?
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The key to HR’s success– “The number 1 complaint I hear from HR teams? That their managers aren’t great. “
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Uber data targeted in breach of third-party law firm– law firms can be the weak link.
Linked – Stop stereotyping Gen Z. Focus instead on why we’re disillusioned about the future of work.
I know some young folks. I work with some young folks. The stereotype that the younger generations don’t want to work is false, in my opinion. What they don’t want to do is work the same way we have for ages because they recognize that it’s not a sound system.
Linked – Companies Can’t Ask You to Shut up to Receive Severance, NLRB Rules
This might interest some folks who’ve recently been laid off.
Do Layoffs Fix Anything, or Do We Have Them Because Everyone Else is Doing It?
Take a hard look at what leaders are saying about layoffs and what they focus on. Do they seem personally hurt and concerned for the people leaving? Do they have honest and transparent explanations for why they made these decisions? Or do they repeat platitudes about “recession,” costs, and other bits of financial jargon to explain away something so painful to the same people they were calling part of the family a week ago?
Families don’t cut the number of kids when money gets tight. Your workplace is not a family and does not deserve a level of commitment that matches your family or your health. Layoffs are sometimes necessary, but mostly just a nice tool to perk up the value of a company for a specific part of the structure or to make up for mistakes made by the same people making these job cuts.
That’s business. I’ve argued for years that business has a vested interest in employee well-being. Caring about your people is how you get their best. I hope leaders will continue to grow in that regard, but as an individual employee, you need to care about yourself more. If your job isn’t meeting your career needs in terms of money, development, or work-life balance, find a better one. You owe them nothing. They pay you to do a job until they decide not to. You owe them that work.
That is all.
Another New Term for People Looking out for Themselves – Career Cushioning
The quickest way to cut expenses is to cut staff. This is the way of the world in the 21st Century. Until someone comes along and changes that, it only makes sense to keep your options open. As the article I linked points out, that can mean keeping your knowledge and skills up to date, staying in touch with your network, and possibly looking at side gigs you could hop to if you find yourself in a company that is laying off staff.
I don’t see anything wrong with that. It’s not disloyal to your employer. That’s not the world we work in any longer.