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They're probably keeping you there until the new project goes live and the legacy stuff is no longer in production. They aren't going to tell your team this because then everyone will start looking for jobs now and leave sooner. There is still a risk that the new project doesn't meet its due date or it fails and is cancelled. That's another reason they haven't told your team that you're being phased out.
Better speed up that job search because you're probably going to be let go during 1QTR2019.
There is still a lot of archiving/cleanup for the first quarter, assuming it doesn't get delayed, but the second quarter is when I'd expect some impact. There has basically been no hiring, even after the RIF.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JanND
If it were me, I'd be proactively learning their software so that I might still have a job.
That seemed to be the way things were going, then everything has been slowed down. One of the SMEs is going to be off every Friday and Monday for September. Things do not move quickly here.
The training so far has been enough to get me comfortable with navigating and such, as well as a deep dive into one feature. It certainly isn't enough for an IT admin position.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tolovefromANFIELD
How long has it been since the merger? And there are really no equal partners in a merger. One company's management always has an upper hand. Is your legacy employer top or bottom? I apologize for putting it so bluntly.
The CIO from my legacy side kept the top position. The other CIO was displaced. Overall, it seems the other company definitely has the upper hand throughout the enterprise. In my division, my side probably had the upper hand. Everyone that was RIF'd was from the side I did not come from.
This is exactly what is happening with my company now. I would definitely start looking for another job. Almost every other month we have people being let go. Best of luck, I am looking too
If the new software is anything marketable, I’d try to learn as much of it as I could to add onto my resume. If you’re able to have some hands-on during this implementation project, I’d try to get on it, but if you’re already being blocked, I’m not sure how possible that will be... maybe speak with your manager since he is from your side.
You’re already looking and that’s the other key action to take. You’ve said before that you get paid high for the area. If the new company feels the same way, they may let you go at the end just on that alone. If you’re not a key project member or a true designated resource once the system is up and running, there won’t be a justification to keep you around. They’ll let you go and bring in someone for less pay with the required skills.
The closest story I can share is this: I know someone who was the manager of IT infrastructure for a large food company. The company was bought by another large food company. He was originally slated to work with the resulting systems integration project for the 2 years it would take for the project to complete. Similar to you, he soon saw a lot of red flags that he was not happy with, even though his manager and other key people on his side had won the coin toss on who stayed from their group. Within a month, he stated that he was going to retire after the planning phase was complete. He was staying just long enough to help get things going and he was done. I saw him a couple of months ago and he had indeed retired. It looked great on him too.
I know you’re no where near retirement, but the point is, he didn’t wait until the end of the project to see what was going to happen. He did what was ultimately best for him.
Last edited by mangomadness; 08-14-2018 at 06:05 PM..
Since my team is unfamiliar with the software, the goal was to get us trained by June. That didn't happen. We've had a few CBLs, and a webinar with a live instructor a few weeks ago. Aside from that, there has been little training from the existing staff or hands-on with the build at all. We are supporting the legacy platforms, but those will be out of production at the end of the year, and fully decommissioned by 2020. It is increasingly a stretch to get the timesheet to forty hours. We're paid fairly well and doing very little at the moment.
They have too much staff, not enough work, and they are keeping people around until there is going to be a layoff. I know in your opinion, they won't do that because you think you are important there or there is other work that still needs to be done. They will get that done by someone else, or cancel that part of it completely.
Don't sit around and wait for something to happen. Update your resume, gather your best references, increase your network, update your Linkedin and start looking for a better job while you are still employed. This way you will be in a better position to get a nice bump than waiting until there is a layoff, or management builds some case to fire you or puts you on some PIP. You have all the signs here of your job being in jeopardy, and I think you'd be a fool to sit there and wait to see how it turns out. Anyone who advises you to just wait it out and not be concerned is a Pollyanna. This isn't going to end like a movie where you are promoted to VP in a corner office with a window because of this merger and shake-up in the company.
I've learned very few people are any good at reading tea leaves when it comes to company matters. They often overreact and cause themselves unnecessary headaches.
You are treating this like an unimportant matter. The OP doesn't care what color the drapes in the lobby will be changed to by management. This has all the signs of things going badly of no longer having a job. We don't want to see the OP do nothing and then come to C-D posting how they just got put on a PIP for no good reason, fired or downsized, and while they saw the signs coming they did nothing about it.
If the new software is anything marketable, I’d try to learn as much of it as I could to add onto my resume. If you’re able to have some hands-on during this implementation project, I’d try to get on it, but if you’re already being blocked, I’m not sure how possible that will be... maybe speak with your manager since he is from your side.
You’re already looking and that’s the other key action to take. You’ve said before that you get paid high for the area. If the new company feels the same way, they may let you go at the end just on that alone. If you’re not a key project member or a true designated resource once the system is up and running, there won’t be a justification to keep you around. They’ll let you go and bring in someone for less pay with the required skills.
The closest story I can share is this: I know someone who was the manager of IT infrastructure for a large food company. The company was bought by another large food company. He was originally slated to work with the resulting systems integration project for the 2 years it would take for the project to complete. Similar to you, he soon saw a lot of red flags that he was not happy with, even though his manager and other key people on his side had won the coin toss on who stayed from their group. Within a month, he stated that he was going to retire after the planning phase was complete. He was staying just long enough to help get things going and he was done. I saw him a couple of months ago and he had indeed retired. It looked great on him too.
I know you’re no where near retirement, but the point is, he didn’t wait until the end of the project to see what was going to happen. He did what was ultimately best for him.
To give you a little backstory, the role me and another person are in was originally split from one person's responsibilities. The person who previously held the role was not very technical (was originally an accountant), and we reworked a lot of her bad processes and design within the first few months. There is enough work for 1.5 people on busy days and periods, but there has never been enough work to fully occupy two people. This has gone on for two years.
There was also a manager between the line analysts and the director I report to. He left shortly before I got here and was not replaced. The team did have a fifth member, who also left last year and was not replaced. There's always been some level of overstaffing.
The product we're going to is an industry leader in its class. A similar organization in a larger metro area is hiring for business analysts on it and starting with $10,000 sign-on. If I could hang on, it would be great experience to have and is very in-demand.
Keep in mind I'm only making $60,000. While that's good money for the local area, that's much easier to get in a city like Raleigh or Charlotte. Our pay and benefits are not going to be attractive to an out of area candidate that does not have local ties. A mid-level IT opening recently closed with the city government that pays what I make. There is another "large regional employer" that pays better than we do. My legacy side of the organization was very skittish about hiring people not from the area anyway.
The consultant has been frustrated with how slow some of these things have been going. It took another month beyond projection just to get training budgets and trainers lined up.
They have too much staff, not enough work, and they are keeping people around until there is going to be a layoff. I know in your opinion, they won't do that because you think you are important there or there is other work that still needs to be done. They will get that done by someone else, or cancel that part of it completely.
Don't sit around and wait for something to happen. Update your resume, gather your best references, increase your network, update your Linkedin and start looking for a better job while you are still employed. This way you will be in a better position to get a nice bump than waiting until there is a layoff, or management builds some case to fire you or puts you on some PIP. You have all the signs here of your job being in jeopardy, and I think you'd be a fool to sit there and wait to see how it turns out. Anyone who advises you to just wait it out and not be concerned is a Pollyanna. This isn't going to end like a movie where you are promoted to VP in a corner office with a window because of this merger and shake-up in the company.
There are a few vacancies here and there within the company that I might qualify for, but by and large, they are not replacing those who are leaving. Another person in this office said they were here to 11 last night trying to move things along to not miss deadlines. Meanwhile, at least two of us are basically idle. It makes no sense. The manager is needing backups and assitance on some third-party stuff they run here. The analyst and manager are inviting me to meetings on these. It will at least help fill out the timesheet.
I can see the archiving piece being done by infrastructure once the legacy prod system gets sunset. I am keeping irons in the fire and beginning to look more aggressively.
I'm on PTO Friday and the Thursday/Friday before Labor Day. My director is out on PTO all next week. Performance reviews are supposed to be completed sometime around the end of the month. I'm definitely going to have a frank discussion with my director on where I fit into the plans going forward if we haven't spoken by the week after Labor Day, at the latest.
When this project started, I figured that, by now, we'd be trained and really a part of the implementation. We've received minimal training as it stands and are not part of the build or even data conversion at all.
The product we're going to is an industry leader in its class.
What's the name of the product?
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