Daily Archives: October 25, 2010

OK, maybe this lands a bit too close to home for me. But there is actually a session scheduled in the LTAP 2010 Conference titled “How to make offshoring work for lotus applications – does it benefit developers?” by Gayathri Viswanathan. The abstract reads as follows:

“Considering the current climate of offshoring (a reality) and the fact that there are people who vehemently oppose this, I would like to present specific benefits for the developers/administrators who can have parts of their work offshored yet contribute meaningfully to their organizations. Specifically in the Lotus World, how this can be achieved, what are the pitfalls and how a workable solution can be achieved.”

First, let’s assume the individual even knows it’s coming. Yes, sometimes employees have advance notice because they are often tasked with training their replacement. However, that is often not the case. Many only find out about it during the impromptu meeting with their boss and someone from HR, usually on a Tuesday morning shortly after 8:30 AM. But let’s just stick with those who are forewarned AND have an opportunity to influence the decision-makers before losing their job.

The purpose of off-shoring is not to add headcount. It is to reduce costs. Period. Sure, you can try to sell your inter-personal skills and demonstrate how you add value to the company beyond your specific technical skills. You might be able to find another position within the company that is currently vacant. Maybe you can convince management to let you fill half of each role until the transition is complete. Maybe you can be the project lead who directs the new off-shore staff. Then again, maybe the developer in the cube next to you will get that job. Is that what this session is about? How to beat out the person next to you in this professional game of musical chairs? Would it not be more useful to have a session on how to show decision-makers ways to reduce costs WITHOUT off-shoring? Show how to address the “buyer’s pain” of the decision-maker without sending jobs away.

While we’re at it, perhaps I will present a session titled “How to make a migration to Exchange and Sharepoint work for Lotus professionals”. The abstract would then go like this:

“Considering the current climate of migrations (a reality) and the fact that there are people who vehemently oppose this, I would like to present specific benefits for the developers/administrators who can have parts of their work migrated yet contribute meaningfully to their organizations. Specifically in the Lotus World, how can this be achieved, what are the pitfalls and how a workable solution can be achieved.”

Anyone want to co-present it with me?