IT management is now concerned about how they can keep the lights on.
Puke.
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Lynden never delivered anything of material value for the business. I’m talking about the railroad part of the business. It was a not very well kept secret that he worked four days on many weeks, spending time golfing and at his hunting lodge / business. The big bet and joke was that he would leave before Netcontrol was to go live. As soon as he was held accountable for his personal work by Vena, he ran. The Austin debacle... anyone?
They are lying to you!
Lyndon Tennison retired, that's what happened. He understood the power of IT and how it could transform UP. He also understood that it's tremendously expensive to actually recruit talented people and retain them. BlackRock, Fritz, and the new Board are mining the company (when they're not busy buying back stock). Do you really think they give a rat's a– about innovation? About IT? About actually running an IT department? It's all over, folks. The surviving IT managers (those who have not yet been replaced) know it, too.
UP was a truly excellent railroad. But it has decided to become just a mediocre Class I railroad, like CSX, CN, CP, or NS–without an IT department transforming operational processes or driving cost savings. As an IT professional, you have nothing but a mediocre (at best) future at UP. Your best bet is to get out. If you're fresh out of college, then stay for a few years (if you can survive) then get out. Don't make any long-term plans. UP certainly isn't.
I’m curious about what doesn’t work with UP’s email? I left in ‘04 and it worked then. I send to and receive UP email regularly now and the communications have never been an issue.
Even before the cuts UP couldn't maintain a modern email system and used outdated versions of common business applications. Maybe that's changed since I left.
The main problem with UP is that almost everyone who works there thinks that they're entitled to their position, and it shows in how the business operates. If it takes massive job cuts to root that out and bring in new ideas then so be it.
The dumb–s finance people and managers in IT shouldn’t have sent so many of their people out the door I guess. They don’t have nearly enough people to maintain the systems they have, so now they’re f—ed. Oh well...
What does IT have to do with keeping the lights on?
IT work is easy and cheap to outsource, so there's no need for any begging either.