61–64 of 64 posts
"They must keep this information secret. Warn them or even sign NDAs prohibiting any talks about wages, bonuses, compensation plans, etc" That's directly illegal, at least in Denmark, so I assume in the rest of the civilized works as well.
Don't forget free lunches. $10 bucks for an extra hour of productivity.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Brainwash them regularly by communicating how great your company is, how big its mission is, and how important their contribution is. It works even better in the world of classified programs because, due to compartmentalization of information, the engineers don't know much about the overall project or what anybody else is doing. But they can always be sure their contributions are important...to management's bonuses.
As I'm practicing consulting cases right now for an MBB interview, my standard question to reducing company costs is: can we reduce labor costs by lowering their wage? Ah, they're unionized. Ok, let's look at another cost saving strategy that does not involve labor. The first time I learned this I was shocked that this is a standard question in case practice for strategy/implementation consultants. Now I'm happy that…
There’s no standard question to cut labor cost by X%. One of the things in the case interview is how structured you approach problems. If that problem turns out to be how to reduce cost, one possible approach is to go over all the major costs and ask if/how you could reduce those.
Yes: For labor the potential answer could be (1) paying people less ($/hr) and/or (2) doing the same work with less people (automation, lean). Exploring the option does not mean it’s a desired path. (Eg perhaps the company in the case is already below market wages and has a retention problem)
This is very true. I've worked for several employers like this. Usually it's better to quit but sometimes it's still worth staying because some jobs can open up more opportunities. In these situations, the best you can do is build leverage by creating direct relationships with stakeholders (e.g. clients and investors).
Ah, you missed the point of mushroom management - keep them in the dark and feed them sh*t. Definitely do not allow programmers to meet the stakeholders.