A recent bout of lay offs in US of A clearly shows the age discrimination in its full ugliness.
Companies are going for more and more young people in the work force. They put in more hours. They take less sick leaves. Not much of families to take care of. There is ambition to grow, so they all work hard.
While the people in the other side of middle age, have families, have found out better things to do in life. They have figured out that the rat race is meaningful only up to certain extent. And this is the band targeted to leave the business.
Nature is a great equalizer. It creates balance. It creates equilibrium and seeks equilibrium in everything. Every employee goes through, seeks for the growth until he or she gets it and adopts to the pressures of it and creates the appetite for more.
But then, one fine day, it reaches a point where it is perfectly poised - what he/she is doing, where he is vs. his capabilities. perfect equilibrium ! Any one who has appetite beyond capability not only fail, they also get humiliated and do permanent damage so some thing that was going on very well.
Its like the satellite that burns stages of fuel of the rocket propelling it until it reached the geo-stationary orbit, where it DOES its work. Does it well. No more burning fuel. It reaches a point where its most effective in delivering what it means to deliver.
This is what I think that goes missing in the recent corporate decision to lay off older folks. And more importantly, the folks who are no longer in the rat race of corporate growth ladder.
Most of them are at a stage where they are not working hard, but they are delivering their best ! Because they are in perfect balance. They have figured out their capabilities. And mastered the art of playing that role. And have no further ambition to grow. They work the 7-8hrs, and go home for better things.
And that's the bracket that is targeted the most !! Something is wrong. Some of the decision makers should just chill and watch a masterful innings of Lil Master batting with a very capable younger non-striker. They would know, what experience means. They would both do same number of runs may be - but one of them would do it with much less effort and much more grace. Making it look easy.
No marks for guessing which one.
Companies are going for more and more young people in the work force. They put in more hours. They take less sick leaves. Not much of families to take care of. There is ambition to grow, so they all work hard.
While the people in the other side of middle age, have families, have found out better things to do in life. They have figured out that the rat race is meaningful only up to certain extent. And this is the band targeted to leave the business.
Nature is a great equalizer. It creates balance. It creates equilibrium and seeks equilibrium in everything. Every employee goes through, seeks for the growth until he or she gets it and adopts to the pressures of it and creates the appetite for more.
But then, one fine day, it reaches a point where it is perfectly poised - what he/she is doing, where he is vs. his capabilities. perfect equilibrium ! Any one who has appetite beyond capability not only fail, they also get humiliated and do permanent damage so some thing that was going on very well.
Its like the satellite that burns stages of fuel of the rocket propelling it until it reached the geo-stationary orbit, where it DOES its work. Does it well. No more burning fuel. It reaches a point where its most effective in delivering what it means to deliver.
This is what I think that goes missing in the recent corporate decision to lay off older folks. And more importantly, the folks who are no longer in the rat race of corporate growth ladder.
Most of them are at a stage where they are not working hard, but they are delivering their best ! Because they are in perfect balance. They have figured out their capabilities. And mastered the art of playing that role. And have no further ambition to grow. They work the 7-8hrs, and go home for better things.
And that's the bracket that is targeted the most !! Something is wrong. Some of the decision makers should just chill and watch a masterful innings of Lil Master batting with a very capable younger non-striker. They would know, what experience means. They would both do same number of runs may be - but one of them would do it with much less effort and much more grace. Making it look easy.
No marks for guessing which one.
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1 comment:
Who is to be blamed then ? ... Guy sitting in comfort zones now who shook off the rest with medium performance in his hay days or the new guys who give a damn about the work life balance ? .... If Management could curb such fellows by not not awarding too much importance and appreciating openly then it probably wouldn't have happened.
Also there are two classes of people
1. Work hard as they're addicted or scared that somone else may do better
2. Work hard to save their asses !
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