Great rewards, great resignations and grueling layoffs

I am for a few moments putting myself in the shoes of a young employee and taking an empathetic view – of an employee perhaps fresh out of college or with a couple of years experience.

And, I am trying to make sense of what is going on and I just don’t get it.

I am constantly reading reports about some companies reporting margin pressures and their inability to pay all the variable pay to their employees. I am also reading about a “funding winter” and some of the celebrated start-ups laying off, sorry “right sizing”.

I don’t understand how such large companies are struggling to find money to pay their front-line engineers? Or celebrated unicorns unable to retain their employees.

I am confused.

I want to find answers and naturally google. I quickly stumble upon the recent press announcements about pay revisions for CEOs of these celebrated companies and I do the math and find that the multiples (the gap between what the CEO is paid and what the front-line employee is paid) are dumbfounding to say the least.

I do more googling and read reports about how premium property sales are booming and many of the new owners are from the start-up world.

And then, I am reminded about the fact that my employer wants me to come back to my base location and start reporting for work in person and I am struggling to figure out how I will do it. There are costs involved but I am told I saved a lot these two years!

Thankfully, I have a few job offers on hand and I am tempted to consider them. Of course, I will be called opportunistic. But then, who isn’t, I ask myself.

In the middle of all this, I have this engagement survey to complete. I will be asked if I like my job. Of course I do. Do I like my Manager? Actually, in the larger scheme of things, he is ok. I will be asked if I plan to stay for the next 12months. Of course, I don’t.

You see, I am a rolling stone that gathers no moss. But then, I am rolling because I am seldom on steady ground. Truth is, I am not sure if I am needed or not needed. Am I “talent” or am I “cost?” Should I plan my career or does my organization have a plan? Does my company want to “engage me” or “disengage me?”.

I really wish I could have a conversation with someone about all these dilemmas.

As I step out of the world of the employee, I realise that this is not the whole truth. There are other ways in which organizations are choosing to work. There are other cultural paradigms. Unfortunately, the harsh reality of the marketplace for talent is this – it is a market place and no one is insulated. The choices and actions of one organization and one industry impact the others. More importantly, it shapes the values and beliefs of employees about work and organizations in general. That is the tough part