布雷特?特雷納是一位職業(yè)規(guī)劃導(dǎo)師,他專門研究怎么幫助職場上的中年人“逃離”朝九晚五的職場生活(特別是那些年齡在44歲到59歲的職場人)。最近,他向廣大中年職場人提醒道,很多企業(yè)正在故意做出一系列姿態(tài)來貶低員工的價值,尤其是針對廣大苦逼中年職場人。
特雷納自己就是一個中年職場人,疫情期間,他辭去了工作,從此正式告別人了打工人的身份。最近,他在TikTok上發(fā)布了一則視頻,揭露了企業(yè)是怎樣壓榨像他這樣的中層的。視頻一開始,他就赤裸裸地指出,當(dāng)前這些企業(yè)流行的用人規(guī)則,沒有任何一點(diǎn)是為員工著想的。
“你知道嗎,原來CEO們至少還要裝一下他們是關(guān)心員工的,現(xiàn)在連裝都懶得裝了?!碧乩准{表示,現(xiàn)在企業(yè)老板們的目標(biāo)非常單一,他們只在乎短期的股東價值,因?yàn)橹挥羞@個東西跟高管的薪酬是直接掛鉤的。
重利潤輕人性
特雷納表示,企業(yè)重視短期股東價值、踐踏長期優(yōu)秀員工的方式之一,就是“假抓績效、抓假績效。”他說:“他們正在擠走那些以前工作中從來沒出過問題的好員工?!?/p>
企業(yè)逼走中年人的第二招,就是強(qiáng)制要求中年員工返崗坐班——這一招倒是比較容易被人察覺。特雷納表示,強(qiáng)制返崗坐班,跟強(qiáng)迫中年員工走人沒有什么區(qū)別。“這只是一個變相逼人辭職的借口罷了?!?/p>
第三招是崗位合并和空頭晉升?!八麄儠榱耸″X而合并崗位,或者給員工升職但是不加薪?!保疹^晉升就是指給你提拔了一個新頭銜,讓你壓了一堆新?lián)?,但就是不給你漲薪水。)
有些公司甚至三管齊下,因?yàn)檫@是“最容易實(shí)現(xiàn)的降本措施?!?/p>
除了這三招之外,有的企業(yè)在踐踏中年員工上,還有更立竿見影和更狠辣的做法——裁員加外包。如果前三招沒有達(dá)到企業(yè)期望的降本效果,他們接下來就會祭出裁員加外包的大殺器。
特雷納表示:“他們會把所有能外包的工作都外包出去,然后直接裁員?!?/p>
這套組合拳打完之后,企業(yè)可能會著手進(jìn)行股票回購?!耙?yàn)檫@確實(shí)會提升股東價值”。高管們的邏輯是:“只要回購股票,人為抬高了股價,這樣一來,股東和高管層就實(shí)現(xiàn)了雙贏?!?/p>
特雷納表示,目前很多大公司都在用同樣的招數(shù)剝削中年人——其中最明顯的一招就是強(qiáng)制員工返崗坐班。
“比如亞馬遜、戴爾和微軟,都在要求員工全部返回辦公室坐班。這只不過是他們剝削人的老套路罷了。”
2023 年,《財富》美國500強(qiáng)企業(yè)CEO的任期中位數(shù)為男性5年、女性3.8年。
“這和他們的這些短期計劃是一致的。他們試圖將股價最大化,這樣就能在短期內(nèi)優(yōu)化自己的薪酬?!碧乩准{還指出,在《財富》美國500強(qiáng)的CEO中,只有8%的任期超過了20年?!八阅銜磸?fù)看見這種情況,那些高管現(xiàn)在連裝都懶得裝了?!?/p>
特雷納本周一接受《財富》采訪時表示,更主要的是,這些CEO們“對長期價值毫無興趣”,因?yàn)椤胺凑麄円膊粫谖蛔由细珊芫?。?/p>
自食其果
特雷納上個月在社交網(wǎng)站LinkedIn上寫道,高管們的這些花招最終是會讓他們付出代價的?!八麄兛赡苁紫葧ツ切┳顡屖值膯T工,而且這部分員工也是最容易找到新工作的。另外,這些做法還會損害員工的士氣,讓那些被迫回到公司坐班的員工產(chǎn)生大量的怨恨情緒?!?/p>
特雷納還表示,以上企業(yè)所謂的“降本良策”,實(shí)際上只是揭露了一個赤裸裸的事實(shí),那就是企業(yè)只把他們的員工當(dāng)成表格上的一個個冰冷的數(shù)字。
特雷納本周一對《財富》表示:“我也在企業(yè)工作過20多年。以我的經(jīng)驗(yàn)看,裁員是拯救企業(yè)的最后一搏。多數(shù)企業(yè)在大規(guī)模裁員后很難恢復(fù)元?dú)猓腋蛇^的大多數(shù)公司在大規(guī)模裁員后也沒能挺過來。”
至少在疫情之前,情況還是如此?!半m然企業(yè)對員工的責(zé)任心在下降,但他們起碼還會偽裝一下。但是現(xiàn)在裁員已經(jīng)成了一種商業(yè)策略,有些公司的利潤已經(jīng)創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄了,卻還在通過裁員來抬高利潤?,F(xiàn)在他們還將裁員與股票回購結(jié)合起來,完全在玩新的一套?!?/p>
有人可能認(rèn)為,裁員是人工智能發(fā)展導(dǎo)致的,或者是因?yàn)槠髽I(yè)利潤太薄導(dǎo)致了。對此,特雷納表示,大多數(shù)公司都還沒到那一步。“這些裁員很少是由于AI的使用而直接導(dǎo)致的。那樣的日子可能最終會到來,但是現(xiàn)在還沒到那一步。很多老牌大型企業(yè)連數(shù)字化都沒完全搞定,就更別說AI了?!保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng))
譯者:樸成奎
布雷特?特雷納是一位職業(yè)規(guī)劃導(dǎo)師,他專門研究怎么幫助職場上的中年人“逃離”朝九晚五的職場生活(特別是那些年齡在44歲到59歲的職場人)。最近,他向廣大中年職場人提醒道,很多企業(yè)正在故意做出一系列姿態(tài)來貶低員工的價值,尤其是針對廣大苦逼中年職場人。
特雷納自己就是一個中年職場人,疫情期間,他辭去了工作,從此正式告別人了打工人的身份。最近,他在TikTok上發(fā)布了一則視頻,揭露了企業(yè)是怎樣壓榨像他這樣的中層的。視頻一開始,他就赤裸裸地指出,當(dāng)前這些企業(yè)流行的用人規(guī)則,沒有任何一點(diǎn)是為員工著想的。
“你知道嗎,原來CEO們至少還要裝一下他們是關(guān)心員工的,現(xiàn)在連裝都懶得裝了。”特雷納表示,現(xiàn)在企業(yè)老板們的目標(biāo)非常單一,他們只在乎短期的股東價值,因?yàn)橹挥羞@個東西跟高管的薪酬是直接掛鉤的。
重利潤輕人性
特雷納表示,企業(yè)重視短期股東價值、踐踏長期優(yōu)秀員工的方式之一,就是“假抓績效、抓假績效。”他說:“他們正在擠走那些以前工作中從來沒出過問題的好員工?!?/p>
企業(yè)逼走中年人的第二招,就是強(qiáng)制要求中年員工返崗坐班——這一招倒是比較容易被人察覺。特雷納表示,強(qiáng)制返崗坐班,跟強(qiáng)迫中年員工走人沒有什么區(qū)別?!斑@只是一個變相逼人辭職的借口罷了?!?/p>
第三招是崗位合并和空頭晉升?!八麄儠榱耸″X而合并崗位,或者給員工升職但是不加薪。”(空頭晉升就是指給你提拔了一個新頭銜,讓你壓了一堆新?lián)?,但就是不給你漲薪水。)
有些公司甚至三管齊下,因?yàn)檫@是“最容易實(shí)現(xiàn)的降本措施?!?/p>
除了這三招之外,有的企業(yè)在踐踏中年員工上,還有更立竿見影和更狠辣的做法——裁員加外包。如果前三招沒有達(dá)到企業(yè)期望的降本效果,他們接下來就會祭出裁員加外包的大殺器。
特雷納表示:“他們會把所有能外包的工作都外包出去,然后直接裁員。”
這套組合拳打完之后,企業(yè)可能會著手進(jìn)行股票回購?!耙?yàn)檫@確實(shí)會提升股東價值”。高管們的邏輯是:“只要回購股票,人為抬高了股價,這樣一來,股東和高管層就實(shí)現(xiàn)了雙贏?!?/p>
特雷納表示,目前很多大公司都在用同樣的招數(shù)剝削中年人——其中最明顯的一招就是強(qiáng)制員工返崗坐班。
“比如亞馬遜、戴爾和微軟,都在要求員工全部返回辦公室坐班。這只不過是他們剝削人的老套路罷了?!?/p>
2023 年,《財富》美國500強(qiáng)企業(yè)CEO的任期中位數(shù)為男性5年、女性3.8年。
“這和他們的這些短期計劃是一致的。他們試圖將股價最大化,這樣就能在短期內(nèi)優(yōu)化自己的薪酬。”特雷納還指出,在《財富》美國500強(qiáng)的CEO中,只有8%的任期超過了20年?!八阅銜磸?fù)看見這種情況,那些高管現(xiàn)在連裝都懶得裝了?!?/p>
特雷納本周一接受《財富》采訪時表示,更主要的是,這些CEO們“對長期價值毫無興趣”,因?yàn)椤胺凑麄円膊粫谖蛔由细珊芫?。?/p>
自食其果
特雷納上個月在社交網(wǎng)站LinkedIn上寫道,高管們的這些花招最終是會讓他們付出代價的?!八麄兛赡苁紫葧ツ切┳顡屖值膯T工,而且這部分員工也是最容易找到新工作的。另外,這些做法還會損害員工的士氣,讓那些被迫回到公司坐班的員工產(chǎn)生大量的怨恨情緒。”
特雷納還表示,以上企業(yè)所謂的“降本良策”,實(shí)際上只是揭露了一個赤裸裸的事實(shí),那就是企業(yè)只把他們的員工當(dāng)成表格上的一個個冰冷的數(shù)字。
特雷納本周一對《財富》表示:“我也在企業(yè)工作過20多年。以我的經(jīng)驗(yàn)看,裁員是拯救企業(yè)的最后一搏。多數(shù)企業(yè)在大規(guī)模裁員后很難恢復(fù)元?dú)?,我干過的大多數(shù)公司在大規(guī)模裁員后也沒能挺過來?!?/p>
至少在疫情之前,情況還是如此?!半m然企業(yè)對員工的責(zé)任心在下降,但他們起碼還會偽裝一下。但是現(xiàn)在裁員已經(jīng)成了一種商業(yè)策略,有些公司的利潤已經(jīng)創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄了,卻還在通過裁員來抬高利潤?,F(xiàn)在他們還將裁員與股票回購結(jié)合起來,完全在玩新的一套。”
有人可能認(rèn)為,裁員是人工智能發(fā)展導(dǎo)致的,或者是因?yàn)槠髽I(yè)利潤太薄導(dǎo)致了。對此,特雷納表示,大多數(shù)公司都還沒到那一步?!斑@些裁員很少是由于AI的使用而直接導(dǎo)致的。那樣的日子可能最終會到來,但是現(xiàn)在還沒到那一步。很多老牌大型企業(yè)連數(shù)字化都沒完全搞定,就更別說AI了?!保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng))
譯者:樸成奎
Brett Trainor, a career coach focused on helping Gen X “escape” the nine-to-five corporate life, has a warning for his compatriots: Companies are making a string of intentional decisions to devalue workers, particularly Gen X (those between the ages of 44 and 59).
In a recent TikTok, Trainor, a Gen Xer himself who quit his corporate job during the pandemic after 30 years, explained just how companies are squeezing their mid-senior-level executives. He kicked off the video by saying no part of the current corporate playbook is good for workers.
“You know that the CEOs are not playing by the same rules where they used to pretend, at least a little bit, to care about the people within the organization,” Trainor said. These days, their goal is quite singular: short-term shareholder value, which ends up equaling C-suite compensation.
Profits over people
One of the ways companies are prioritizing shareholder value over long-haul strong employees is by doling out what Trainor calls “phantom PIPs [performance improvement plans],” he said. “They’re pushing out really good employees that have never had a problem before.”
The second—and much more recognizable—move: Return-to-office mandates, which Trainor said often function like forced push-outs. “It’s just another veiled excuse to get people to quit,” Trainor said.
The third method is job consolidations and dry promotions. “They’re consolidating positions in order to save money, and promoting people without paying them.” (A dry promotion describes an employee who’s given a new job title, with all the requisite new responsibilities—but no pay raise.)
Trainor characterizes the three-pronged approach as “l(fā)ow-hanging-fruit expense reduction.”
Then there are the more immediate, pernicious methods of devaluing workers: layoffs and outsourcing, which companies will turn to if the first three methods don’t lead to the expense reduction they’re looking for.
“They’re going to look to outsource any job they can, and then ultimately just reduce headcount—they’ll figure it out later,” Trainor said.
After that, companies might move on to stock buybacks. “It’ll really improve the shareholder value,” he said, reasoning that executives’ thinking might be, “Let’s buy back the stock and artificially inflate the share price, because [then both] shareholders and the C-suite wins.”
Trainor says the playbook he’s sketched out is currently in motion at dozens of firms—most recognizably in their return-to-office mandates.
“You’ve got Amazon, you’ve got Dell, and, to an extent, Microsoft, forcing a full return to office,” he said. “But this is just a rinse and repeat process.”
In 2023, the median tenure among Fortune 500 CEOs was five years for men and 3.8 years for women.
“That’s right in line with what these short-term plans are,” Trainor said. “They’re trying to maximize the share price so they can optimize their compensation in the short term.” Only 8% of Fortune 500 CEOs’ tenures exceed 20 years, he went on. “You’re gonna see this over and over again, with [executives] not even pretending about the people aspect of it.”
More to the point, CEOs “have zero interest in the long-term value,” Trainor told Fortune on Monday. “They won’t be there.”
Reaping what they sow
Each of these moves will end up costing the executives who carry them out, Trainor wrote on LinkedIn last month. “They’ll likely lose their most in-demand employees first—those who will have the easiest time finding new jobs,” he said. “They’ll also crush morale and create a huge amount of resentment from the employees forced to head back to the office against their will.”
Each of these actions, which Trainor considers “l(fā)ow-hanging fruit,” do little more than “reinforce the unfortunate reality that employees are treated like numbers on a spreadsheet,” he added.
“Historically—and I was in corporate for over two decades—layoffs were a last-ditch effort to save the company,” Trainor told Fortune on Monday. “It was hard to bounce back from mass layoffs, and most of the companies I was with didn’t make it.”
This was still the case, up until the pandemic. “Loyalty to employees was fading, but they still pretended to care,” he recalled. “Now layoffs are a business strategy. You see companies with record profits laying folks off to improve the bottom line. Now they package that with stock buybacks, and you have the new playbook.”
And before anyone claims that layoffs are a direct result of advancements in AI—or in thin margins—Trainor says most companies aren’t there yet. “Few of these layoffs are a direct result of AI implementation,” he said. “Those days will come, but they have not figured that out yet. Many large older companies are still trying to figure out how to leverage digital, let alone AI.”