When the big technology players began laying off workers, it shocked many of those who lost their jobs. It's not that the impacted people did not know that layoffs were coming, it's just that many of them never expected the ax to fall on them.
That's because when you work at big tech companies like Twitter (X), Meta (Facebook), Alphabet (Google), Amazon (AMZN) -), and Microsoft your job becomes a major part of your identity in many cases. That's not unique to the tech space, but it's common in that area where people are working long hours on projects that seem (and often are) important.
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Many jobs demand long hours and mental devotion that goes well beyond when you're actually working. That might be a problem for some, but it can also be rewarding when you're working as part of a tram doing work that feels meaningful.
What the big tech layoffs show, though, is that many companies expect sacrifice and devotion without offering the same in return. Alphabet (GOOG) -), Amazon, Microsoft, or any other company that recently cut thousands of workers could have followed Apple's lead and found other ways to slash the budget.
The reality, however, is that layoffs are the easiest path for many companies to rightsize their balance sheet. That can be pure accounting like Walt Disney (DIS) -) cutting on-air workers with years left on contracts that still have to be paid or it can be an annual culling of lower performers (which seems to happen at Microsoft (MSFT) -) most years). Or, as it was at so many companies over the past year, it can simply be the fastest way to make the budget work.
It's sobering when you look at it (and maybe a little depressing) but "Shark Tank's" Kevin "Mr. Wonderful" O'Leary shared some advice that every worker should take to heart.
"It’s never selfish to think about you and have a plan for the long game,' he shared on Twitter.
Image source: Shutterstock
Workers Need to Hear Mr. Wonderful
While O'Leary isn't framing his advice specifically for laid off tech workers, what he's saying is that you need to focus on your own career path because it's very likely your company won't.
The "Shark Tank" star has made it clear that he believes that companies used the covid pandemic "as a cloak" to justify job cuts.
“Their jobs will never come back,” O’Leary said on “Squawk Box.” “This is great for earnings in the S&P. It’s not great for employment.”
Companies, especially public ones, will generally put the bottom line ahead of a worker's well-being. Very few -- Apple and Southwest Airlines have been exceptions historically -- will look at pulling every lever possible before considering cutting workers.
O'Leary Does Expect Devoted Employees
While O'Leary does tell workers that they should be looking out for themselves, he disagrees with the practice of "quiet quitting." He believes strongly that when you accept a job, that means you perform it as best you can as long as you keep taking a paycheck.
He made it clear how he felt in a now-deleted video on social media.
“You build a culture when you bring somebody in that slams shut their laptop at five o’clock, you’re introducing a cancer into your culture,” O'Leary said. “Eventually, you’re going to have to do surgery and cut it out. The whole idea would be [to] avoid these people.”
The "Shark Tank" star was very adamant that modern work requires getting the job done, not meeting a certain set of hours. That's part of the tradeoff for work from home and the increased flexibility many workers have, according to the investor.
“I don’t know where this started. It’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard. It’s against what we do in business. It doesn’t matter whether you’re working anymore at 6 am or 2 in the morning. You’re just getting your job done. That’s the freedom the economy’s giving you now in a distance space,” he said.
