Cowboy Caleb the liberal arts, grown-up stuff & random mischief

Thank Goodness You Don’t Work At Maxtor

Maxtor harddrives aren’t selling very well, is it your fault?

Before I joined my current company, I had an option to join an American MNC called Maxtor as well. But during the interview, I felt uncomfortable because they were unable to answer my questions about the reporting structure and career ops. So in the end, I turned down their offer. Thank goodness. Have you seen the news?

Maxtor is slashing 42% of its workforce in Singapore. This translates into 5, 500 jobs lost. While there are no details so far about how many percent of that number are white-collar or blue-collar jobs, it’s still a very very sad and unhappy thing. I can’t imagine how the staff of Maxtor are feeling today. Probably a very good time to start counting their dollars and pennies while deciding that this year’s holiday in Disneyland should be canceled just in case.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but American owned firms are quick to hire, reward lavishly but also quick to drop you when the going gets rough. When was the last time you heard of a German or French firm treating their staff like this?

heh, you’re joking right? Not being able to fire people even if they suck is the reason for the central European economy to go down. Here in the US, people are fired on a “same day” basis. “Hey Caleb, today’s your last day. Bye bye!”. And you can do the same to your boss: “This place stinks. I’m not coming in anymore tomorrow”. Both those cases happened at the company where I work last week.

More are opting for contract staff.

Companies hire and fire employees now and then. Sux to see so many people being laid off but the reality is that a company’s first responsibility is always to its shareholders. I tell the CEOs of the companies we invested in the past the same thing. Sack your people if you must. People come and go but the company remains. Reducing your workforce is usually a good way to get back to profitability.

Companies hire and fire employees now and then. Sux to see so many people being laid off but the reality is that a company’s first responsibility is always to its shareholders. I tell the CEOs of the companies we invested in the past the same thing. Sack your people if you must. People come and go but the company remains. Reducing your workforce is usually a good way to get back to profitability. Just remember that our employment contract/agreement in a company doesn’t guarantee our stay in the company forever. The trend now is for more contract staff, freelancers and outsourcing.

Yah, staying in civil service just like you is the best bet.

well.. put in perspective, some people may not mind.. many of the older ones (both senior and junior positions) may have been with the company for a good 10 years, and 1 month’s retrenchment benefits for each year worked rocks..

I’ve got older colleagues who have been with the company for 25 years.. imagine 2 years’ pay to ask you to walk thru that door and not need to return tomorrow.. I sure wouldn’t mind..

Well at least now you know that you made the right choice.

Yes civil service is a better bet if you want to keep your job longer.

Go freelance

*scratches Maxtor from my Sim Lim list to replace hard drive in PC*