Waking up to news that Microsoft is cutting labor costs because of AI is deeply alarming. Microsoft - one of the biggest tech companies, where if I was employed I would have felt secured and safe, is reportedly cutting costs of labor that would leave so many without their livelihoods.
An October 28 snippet of Google news.
If there's one important lesson I've learned as someone who's worked remotely for years now, it's to live ready - have a plan B, a contingency, an exit plan, a backup.
Having frequently disbursed exit and severance payments, it's always an ugly process and most employees are completely blindsided.
“Ugly”, at least for me.
I remember having to remove access and process the severance pay of almost the entire Filipino workforce from my first overseas company. It was extremely heavy since as a startup team, we’ve become a family. We’ve had hours of Zoom calls, met face-to-face for retreats and hangouts, basically built a lovely relationship with each other.
And then, I became a vital part of the ugly process - breaking the news, calculating severance packages, releasing last payments, the usual finance thing. I did what I was tasked to do. Eventually, Slack turned into a ghost town. I had no one to chat with, no more hangouts or Zoom calls, nothing.
After things have settled and it’s been a month since the last employee took off, my boss asked me how I was. That was the only time I broke down. It was a pile of heaviness that avalanched violently at that moment, it stays vivid to date. Cause hey, they weren’t just employees, they were my friends.
But the rest was history after that. Life went on. Offboarding friends became part of the journey, moreso for WFH, it was normal. Sadly, it might turn more normal and more frequent moving forward.
My “we want to hire you” call; my greatest breakthrough eight years ago.
My job has allowed me to do so much and go to many places with my family. For it, I am eternally grateful. But as time is finite, so are opportunities, circumstances, encounters ~ nothing is forever. So while we enjoy the prosperity and financial blessings we have now, let’s not forget to stack for the rainy days. Trust me, those days don’t always come with a warning.
TL;DR: Everything synonymous with being prepared, be it.