One key:
Meetings.
Lots and lots of meetings.
If your calendar isn’t packed with back-to-back meetings, you’re asking for a realignment (and eventual PIP).
Maybe you have no idea what the meeting’s purpose is, maybe you don’t know any of the technical background. It doesn’t matter. Extra points if you make your presence clear with a cheeky, “need to head off now” to make your presence and busyness known.
This is peak productivity. Meetings, people, meetings.
Spot on. In the final years of my geoscience research career, supervisors told me I should pop in on meetings to which I was not invited, to "contribute through others."
It just doesn't work that way! You cannot force people to listen to you. But meetings, schmoozing, ... are unfortunately key.
EMRE Annandale has always been a management top heavy organization. The joke was, "For every research scientist doing experimental research, there are 10 advisors that are needed to manage the one experimental researcher."
@ixj - that’s definitely the EMRE way in Annandale - CSR and Products. I’ve seen people get as far as Senior Scientific Advisor level by doing nothing except attend meetings and rely on others to do the actual research and development work.
This is Sparta!!!!
This is nonsense.
"If your calendar isn’t packed with back-to-back meetings" Who is actually doing science and engineering work then?
We have always been a meeting happy corporate culture.
If Dallas asked EMIT to run a macro to plot up the frequency of an employees meetings and reduced global headcount based on the premise that the more meetings you attended, the lower you would be in the annual rankings, our global productivity would probably increase.
You have 2 employees: Employee 1 works hard and good business judgement. He/she tries to pass on meetings that cut into productivity. He/she tries to work group issues informally and by messaging. Employee 2 attends every meeting they can and schedules meetings for minor issues. He/she always has a safety minute and comments on everything. Who does better? Probably 2
PIP’s have nothing to do with how busy you are,how busy you look or how productive your are and the good feedback you get from peers or customers. If the company wants you gone they will PIP you.EVERYONE is replaceable.
Now I understand how my boss was getting away with it 😅