Conference 7.286::digital

    can't be done... it's not "in keeping with normal business practices".
    

    sorry to be negative as well, but can't be done.
    one has to fear that those who get the message drop down in efficiency.
    drop out early (after they found) and knowledge transfer and work is
    not finished. how would you fell sitting besides a colleague who knows?
    
    set cynic on
    	it would be much more efficient if the RIGHT people would be
    	taken, and the ones who are good can keep cool, because they KNOW
    	they will survive.
    set cynic off
    
    sigh. it's (probably) not so bad here in europe, but I (as you have) 
    parted with some colleagues which were definitly not the right ones.
    
    sigh again. but let's keep up, I still belive (strongly) Digital will
    make it. christoph
                                                                           

    re: .2

    Efficiency is already low;  knowing that you will be laid off removes
    the doubt, helps you focus on after Digital, and keeps the process of
    looking for another job above board and honest.  I've seen people
    actually invest more of themselves into Digital even AFTER they were
    laid off.  Bizarre as it sounds, it's happening today.

    What I'm trying to do away with is the surreptitious gameplaying that
    greatly impacts people's ability to perform.  Lack of clarity in the
    work environment is probably the single greatest reason why morale and
    productivity in a company plummit.  Right now - and these notes are a
    testimony to it - this is not a pleasant environment in which to work. 
    Continued layoffs further depress morale.  This must be addressed
    immediately.  I'm not suggsting that this is easy, I'm guessing that
    people would rather know where they stand so that they can go about
    their lives with some level of stability.
    

    Last year the people of Galway Mnfg. thought they were in safe secure
    jobs and that nothing could touch them. Some people were moved from
    Clonmel, a sister plant 90 miles away, and bought houses in Galway on
    the assumption that things would settle down.
    Nothing is guaranteed any more.
    Even if the company were to grant me fixity of tenure instead of a
    payrise I'd take the payrise if I had the choice.
    Management the world over, and not just Digital, are like a wounded
    animal, ready to charge in any direction at any given moment to save the
    system. I do not envy them or fear them since they can also be fired
    and are not as prepared as I am for the harsh realities of living for
    long periods without work.
    The days of cosy family-style corporate paternalism and longterm career
    patterns are over.

    Despite all the sayers that it "can't be done", some groups are 
    doing it anyway.  For example, one person I know has been
    told that he are "at risk" after the end of the current quarter.
    About a year ago a group moved in next to my group and was then
    told that they had 6 months of funding left after which anyone
    left in the group would be laid off.
    
    So it does happen... 

    re: -1
    What impact did it have on their morale?
    

    I've got to show some restraint here:

    Everyone and everything is at risk.  The fact is that Digital requires
    to show four quarters of consistent growth in profitability and revenue
    in order to no longer to be "at risk" for a year or two.

    But with conceding that Digital itself is "not at risk", who is
    prescient enough to know what headcount is the final headcount after
    which Digital will be able to achieve consistent growth.

    The only businesses that are externally regarded as viable are the
    design and manufacture of Alpha technologies and the desktop systems.
    
    Beyond that, internally, you have a small stake in Digital, but a
    bigger stake in the profitability of your local "business unit", or at
    least perceived profitability according to Digital bookkeeping systems.

    -.1
    What then would you suggest be done to improve morale in this company? 
    Or do you not feel that we have a morale problem?

    To paraphrase a well known truism:
    
    "As we think today, we perform tomorrow."
    
    This does not augur well for Digital.
    

    I would help MY morale if I knew, one way or the other, if I were at
    risk or not.  It's the not knowing that's killing me.  If I heard that
    I was high risk it wouldn't help my efficiency much, but not knowing
    anything isn't helping either.  Like most people I can deal with a
    known situation, but deal very poorly with uncertainty.

    re:  .7
    
    We pay senior executives lots of money to make educated guesses - about
    where to put our research dollars, what kinds of plants to build, how
    many people to hire, etc.  These guesses become budget items which
    become a reality.  Granted, there is no guarantee that these guesses
    will be accurate.  But we do it and then we act on it.  We know that
    they have also thought about what it will take to make this company
    profitable, how many people will be needed, and where those people
    ought best be placed.  Doesn't it make sense to let people know what
    that thinking is, rather than have them find out the day they are
    tapped on the shoulder (or a couple weeks before if the rumor mill is
    active).  
    
    There is a high degree of probability that some 5000 people will lose
    their jobs this quarter - make those decisions now.  Tell the people
    they are at high risk, and then get on with it.   We ask sales people
    to forecast a year out and then hold them accountable for the results,
    does it not make sense to expect the same kind of behavior with respect
    to layoffs?
    

    
    Re: .10
    
    I second this sentiment.
    
    The downsizing per se is not what has people down as much as
    the lack of clear, direct, straight talk about what is coming.
    In the last couple of years I have seen numerous mixed messages
    come along that only serve to confuse the situation more.
    
    Steve
    

    	For several months up to the end of June I was a member
    	of a small team who were incredibly busy on a project.  
    	We knew we were all under threat of discontinued funding 
    	for FY94, but the excitement of the project kept the 
    	morale really high.  In fact morale was so high that
    	people passing our work area were inclined to ask why 
    	we were always in such good spirits.
    
    	Then the project was done and I found that my funding was
    	not enough to take me past March 1994.
    
    	My morale is not so high now, but it's still good because:
    
    1	I know how much funding there is;
    2	I believe Digital has turned the corner;
    3	I believe the country's economy has also turned the corner, too.
    
    	So, in March '94 I expect that there should be a prospect of
    	extending the funding or, if not, the prospect of a job in
    	another company.
    
    	In the last few days my morale got a boost when I was asked 
    	if I was interested in resuming, in March, a job I was just 
    	over 2 years ago.
    
    Conclusion:  The less the uncertainty, the better the morale.
    
    	FWIW, the most motivated people I ever worked with were 
    	working out their notice just before a factory closed.  
    	They were racing to get a contract finished before the 
    	closure date.  The motivating force was the leadership of 
    	their departmental manager, not extra money or anything else.
    	Oh that we _all_ had inspiring departmental managers like that!
    
    Nick

    
    This string reminds me of a Winston Churchill quote I kept from an
    earlier note. I'll repost it here:
    
    	"When the situation was manageable, it was neglected, and 
    	now that it is thoroughly out of hand, we apply too late the 
    	remedies which might have effected a cure. There is nothing 
    	new in the story. It is as old as the Sibylline books. It 
    	falls into that long dismal catalog of the fruitlessness of 
    	experience and the confirmed unteachability of mankind. Want 
    	of foresight, unwillingness to act when action would be simple 
    	and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of council
    	until the emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its 
    	jarring	gong - these are the features which constitute the endless 
    	repetition of history."
    
    				Winston Churchill, May 2, 1934

    
    
    This speaks volumes.

Would I prefer to know now?

	Yes

Would my morale be better if I knew I wasn't at risk?

	Yes

Would my morale be better if I knew I was at risk?

	Probably

Would my morale be better if I knew who was at risk?

	That depends on who is and isn't on which list.

Would I believe them if they told me I was not at risk?

	No.  Because I don't believe they have any stable long term
goals except 'profitability', nor do I believe that they have a workable
plan for reaching that goal.  Without a stable plan, I wouldn't believe
any predictions they would care to make about my continued employment.

We keep hearing that morale will improve when the company turns profitable.
I believe this.  Not because morale is tied directly to profit, because
it isn't.  Lack of profit led us to downsizing.  The way downsizing
was implemented led to the loss of morale.  Stopping downsizing will
improve morale, but with the current plans, the only way I see to stop
downsizing is to become profitable... of course the problem is how
to become profitable while morale is low...

    At a previous company I worked for, after the first round of layoffs,
    all the engineers in the group I worked for were told by the
    manager..." The layoffs are over.....lets get back to work!".
    
    I belived him........three weeks later, I was laided off.
    
    I don't believe anyone.
    
    Marc H.

    Here, let's make it simple.  If they say:
    
    "You're the last person we want to lay off."
    
    		It means:
    
    		"You're on the list."
    
    If they say:
    
    "You are our most valuable asset."
    
    		It means:
    
    		"We are going to make ends meet by liquidating 
    		 our most valuable assets."
    
    If they say:
    
    "No layoffs are planned."
    
    		It means:
    
    		"Layoffs just happen."
    
    If they say:
    
    "Don't worry about your job."
    
    		It means:
    		
    		"It really doesn't matter any more 
    			WHAT you do."
    
    If they say:
    
    "In keeping with normal business practice ..."
    
    		It means:
    
    		"'Normal' is *such* a relative thing ..."
    
    
    Steve  ;^}

>>No.  Because I don't believe they have any stable long term
>>goals except 'profitability', nor do I believe that they have a workable
>>plan for reaching that goal.  Without a stable plan, I wouldn't believe
>>any predictions they would care to make about my continued employment.

Yes! Right, thats exactly it...very well put. In lieu of a long term
plan we have TFSO....rather like eating your seed corn.

    
    RE: .19  "eating your seed corn".....I like it.
    
    
    
    Mike

    
    Just to add to this string..(as if it wasn't already said).
    
    I work in a small group of 3 people, the last 1 officially started 1
    week ago.
    
    We are receiving rumours, from fairly reliable sources but NOTHING
    official:
    
    1) The group is moving
    2) The group is not moving
    3) We are all to be made redundant
    3) We will be offered jobs with the new group (in another country)
    4) We will stay for another 2 years
    5) The move will happen in Q2
    
    Now then, rumours don't start from nothing. Granted, they may be
    distorted and twisted but "no smoke without fire". Therefore, somebody
    must know what is happening or be aware of all the alternatives being
    thought about.
    
    We mere minions, whose jobs could or could not be on the line, who have
    families etc, are obviously not being considered important enough or
    mature enough to be given all the information, so that we know where we
    stand. This company , in my opinion, does not value it's employess.
    This company, in my opinion, does not merit any loyalty. This company,
    in my opinion, will survive but in such a different form that I've been
    used to in the last 15 yars, that I don't think I want to be in it
    anymore.
    
    Oh, I nearly forgot, my morale is not very high, as you can probably
    tell from my reply.
    
    Cheers,
    
    Mark.

    
    what i dont undertsand is why some DECeees need to know if they are
    staying or not, at risk or not, moving or not , and all that, it is no 
    good to keep worrying and talking about it, just go on with normal life 
    and do what you do, and if it hits you, so be it, then you do something
    about it, but it is not like the end of the world or anything like that.
    
    i feel sort of wise today so i wanted to say something on this.
    
    hope this helps.
    
    \nasser

    RE: .22
    
    Didn't help, and your not correct...
    
    Marc H.

    re: .22
    
    Ditto, it didn't help.
    
    You're suggesting that what will be, will be, and therefore there is no
    reason to worry .  So if financial disaster strikes or your child can't
    continue on in school because you lost your job, why worry?
    
    Nasser, that was a bad argument for ignorance.  But I love the gentle
    way you express yourself.

    
    Re: worry
    
    Well, I tend to agree with Nasser.  Worry per se is not going to
    do you one bit of good.  You can't affect what happens to you by
    worrying about it.  You can't worry yourself off the TFSO list.
    
    You can, however, take action when you are concerned about your
    and your family's well being and that is what Nasser is saying is
    the wise thing to do.
    
    fwiw,
    Steve
    

        .25

    Steve,  Great answer !!

    good note!!
    
    you read my thoughts exactly !!

    \nasser
                        

    Not so quick...
    
    Action can be of two types - reaction or proaction.  It sounded like
    Nasser was advocating reaction.  Proaction is better.  It is even more
    effective if it is informed by what is about to happen to you.
    
    Also, why would you argue in favor of being kept in the dark, when
    other people around you know - or should know if they've done their
    business plans - what is about to happen?

    re: .22                    
    
    Wise, maybe; kind, certainly.
    
    Nasser, if we were talking about bolts of lightning, or traffic
    accidents, your "come what may" approach might be more reassuring.
    
    Presumably, these are rational decisions and not random acts, so while
    people pretty much understand the very high level decisions (Bob P has
    been pretty clear about what he is after), the mid to lower level
    implementation is still mysterious at best and apparently random at
    worst. Information is seemingly progressively more hazy as you
    travel down the hierarchy, finally deteriorating into a babble of
    rumors. Disconcerting to be stumbling around in the dark.
    
    I agree with you that a good cure for worry is to focus on the task at
    hand. It isn't always easy to stay productive. But when you accomplish
    a little something, it feels like a much bigger accomplishment these
    days. Every little check mark on the day's to-do list is a celebration!

    There _is_ reason to worry, but we are not completely at the mercy of
    the winds of fortune, either. Channel the worry into reasonable
    preparation. That way if the hurricane of fortune should come your way,
    you'll know where your flashlight is!
    
    	Be Bold!
    
        --Catherine--*
    

>    what i dont undertsand is why some DECeees need to know if they are
>    staying or not, at risk or not, moving or not , and all that, it is no 
>    good to keep worrying and talking about it, just go on with normal life 
>    and do what you do, and if it hits you, so be it, then you do something
>    about it, but it is not like the end of the world or anything like that.
>
>    \nasser

This "advice" comes from the guy who is wondering whether or not he's
going to get a lousy $5 frozen turkey 5 months from now ??????????

Nasser you absolutely amaze me!

Charly

        >This "advice" comes from the guy who is wondering whether or not he's
    >going to get a lousy $5 frozen turkey 5 months from now ??????????

    hi Charly, as far as the turkey issue is concerned, as me and other
    DECeees have said it before, it is not the monetary value of the bird that
    what is at steak here, it is what it means, it is the symbols behind
    it, when DEC gives you something like this, it means allot, some things
    just can't be measured by pure money you know plus it is these little 
    things what makes the spice in life, i just dont understand what some 
    DECeees dont see this point !!?

    plus, it is not a $5 turkey, i did check in the mall for similar one, it
    is more like $20 one at least pound by pound.

    any way, the turkey issue and being TFSO'ed or relocated are completely
    mutual exclusive issues, so let carry on with one at a time please !!

    hope this explains where i come from.
    
    \bye
    \nasser
    

    Re .28:
    
    > Nasser, if we were talking about bolts of lightning, or traffic
    > accidents, your "come what may" approach might be more reassuring.

    That's absurd.  Both lightning strikes and traffic accidents are
    preventable to a large degree; they are things one SHOULD concern
    oneself with.  It's unpreventable things (like layoffs not dependent on
    poor job performance) for which anxiety is purposeless.
    
    
    				-- edp

>    what i dont undertsand is why some DECeees need to know if they are
>    staying or not, at risk or not, moving or not , and all that, it is no 
>    good to keep worrying and talking about it, just go on with normal life 
>    and do what you do, and if it hits you, so be it, then you do something
>    about it, but it is not like the end of the world or anything like that.

End of the world?  No.  End of my current livelihood?  Yes.

Should I worry?  Yes, as I am concerned with how I might provide for my
family in the future in the event I am forced to participate in TFSO.

>   It's unpreventable things (like layoffs not dependent on
>   poor job performance) for which anxiety is purposeless.

Purposeless?  It gives people an out -- a means to vent.  Keeping it balled
up inside only makes things worse.  Granted, it effects everyone differently,
but anxiety is not something that can be merely ignored.

-Andy

    Okay, you can avoid lightning, how about being crushed by a meteorite?
    There are plenty of random things that are not worth worrying
    excessively about. Pick one!
    
    My point is that layoffs are a non-random worry - presumably based on a
    rational, but not well understood process.  
    
    	--Catherine--*

    
    
    		Well , rather than comment on the absurdity of anxiety
    	or debate the $20.00 price tag of a 11-12 pound turkey, and how
    	that should some how equate to a boost in morale.....oh yeah,
    	morale. I still don't know where nasser's from, and don't
    	want to with $20.00 turkeys, nor can I read minds.
    	I don't worry about lightening strikes but I do worry about
    	car accidents. Many people would prefer to know what to expect
    	in the future so they could plan their course of action.
    
    		It is probably a case of fear by the Management of Digital
    	that prevents them from dis-closing what they know of our futures.
    	Some employees would undoubtedly lay down on the job, take sick
    	leave and abuse breaks and lunches, etc,etc ad nauseum. Sound
    	like anyone you know ??
    
    		However , there is a group of employees here in 
    	Albuquerque, New Mexico who are working very hard at transfering
    	the surface mount and Test capabilities of our modules business
    	down to Mexico, KNOWING full well their jobs here go with it.
    	I don't see them pilfering the plant, writing Graffiti on the
    	walls , or laying down on the job. If they have self respect
    	before , they will have self respect after......and many still
    	go the extra effort.
    
    			Sorry to take so long, but IF the management
    	knew what was going on , I don't think they would tell us
    	to improve our morale.
    
    					Pablo
    
    
                               

    
    Re: .32
    
    I have a family to provide for, but I agree with Nasser and EDP.
    What they and I are talking about is not legitimate concern
    where you have a course(s) of action available to you and
    with good sense and thought think through what you can/should
    do about a tough situation and then take what action you can
    to look after yourself.  What we are saying is fruitless is
    spending your energy on "wringing your hands" over things
    that are *not* within *your* control.  The choice of whether
    to TFSO me or not is not mine.  I can't change it if it comes
    my way.  Worrying over whether you will or won't be TFSO'd will
    not only do you no good, but will add to the burden if you are.
    Worry literally wears you out and can leave you so depleted that if
    a rough situation comes your way that you have little means left
    to deal with it.  Trust me.  I've been there, and it took counseling
    to help me to see what I was doing to myself.
    
    Anyone who has any concern that they might be TFSO'd would be
    better caring for themselves by investigating what alternatives
    they have and keeping in regular touch with them.
    
    fwiw,
    Steve
    

>    Okay, you can avoid lightning, how about being crushed by a meteorite?

Or a falling Frozen Turkey! :-) Sorry, I couldn't resist that one!

Nasser, You paying WAY TOOOO much for turkey if you buying a 12 pound 
bird for $20! You are looking a whole bird prices, and not turkey parts?

But, back to one of the previous subjects... Continued employment or
even some indication of means a whole lot more to me than any
symbolism that you might have about a frozen turkey! 

Charly

    I agree with many of the points made so far.  I do draw some different
    conclusions, however.
    
    Doing something is far better than doing nothing, and then worrying
    about it.  Things that are beyond our control probably are fruitless
    things to worry about.  I don't spend a lot of time worrying about the
    next hurricane, tornado or flood.  They rarely occur in my area and
    therefore aren't a major focus of my energies.
    
    On the other hand, layoffs are an increasing concern because their
    lightening bolts are striking people all around me.  What I am
    suggesting is that the same rational planning processes that go into
    creating a business plan be part of the the layoff process as well, and
    that like the business plan it should be shared with all concerned.
    
    There seems to be some feeling expressed in these notes that we do not
    have a right to that information, that we have no stake  in the
    outcome of the process, that we do not think about the company's well
    being.  What I was suggesting in the base note was that we are critical
    to the company's success, we have a right to know where we are going,
    and we have a stake in the outcome.  There is no room for secrecy in
    that process.  If we view our relationship with Digital as a
    partnership, then we must begin to expect that partnership to be one of
    full disclosure.  Trust makes this company work.  When it is absent, it
    cripples the company.  I cannot trust someone who keeps secrets from
    me, especially those that impact my future.

    
    Re: .37
    
    I don't think the sentiment was so much about us not having 
    a right to the information, etc. as it was about not knocking 
    ourselves out lamenting the delta between what we feel should
    be and what we actually have.
    
    I agree 110% with your point about full disclosure and trust.
    
    Steve
    

>   What we are saying is fruitless is
>   spending your energy on "wringing your hands" over things
>   that are *not* within *your* control.  The choice of whether
>   to TFSO me or not is not mine.  I can't change it if it comes
>   my way.  Worrying over whether you will or won't be TFSO'd will
>   not only do you no good, but will add to the burden if you are.

Anxiety over potentially loosing your job is a legitimate fear.  Ignoring 
it because you cannot control *it* can be unhealthy.  There *are* courses 
of action that may be taken:  update resume, look in the employment section 
of the paper, network with other people to see what's available, etc.  As 
you mention, Steve, counsel may be one course of action.

I understand what you're saying -- whining that you might be struck by
lightning does no one any good.  However, staying from beneath a tree,
from atop a telephone pole, etc. will lessen the possibility and, 
therefore, lessen the fear.  However, it does not make the fear any 
less legitimate.

-Andy

    
    Re: .39 
    
    > Anxiety over potentially loosing your job is a legitimate
    > fear.  Ignoring it because you cannot control *it* can 
    > be unhealthy.
    
    Absolutely.  I'll go you one further.  Ignoring it *is* unhealthy. 
    The point we are making is about what can you do constructively to
    deal with it.
    
    Steve
    

For some reason, reading this string of replies has emplanted in my mind a
vivid image of a frozen turkey being struck by lightning.

-s-

    

    i think what i see through all this, is that losing one`s job is
    an overstated affairs by some, i know it can be hard, but for crying it
    out loud, you still got you, you are still the same special person
    you were before the TFSO and still after it, i think some people
    take losing a job like a death or ever more, i think we should
    look at it at just what it is, a minor clutch in the ripple of the
    stream of life and to go on, and always remember that what is inside 
    us is what is important and to look at the bright side and not to take 
    it overboard and panic about it, i also see that some DECeees might have 
    more obligations than others that is why they worry about it more, 
    but , we should be rational about it, and treat it as no more
    than what it is, and always keep you chins up and high and note that life
    has more to offer and it is just as beautiful even if you get TFSO'ed !!

    boy, that was some heavy stuff, iam off for lunch !!

    \nasser

    re .37
    
    My boss today sent out minutes from her boss's staff meeting, and
    although the news wasn't all that good, I felt alot better about
    hearing "something" from all those layers in between me and Mr. Bob
    Palmer. 
    
    My opinion - increased mid/lower level communication will yield greater
    trust which will yield improved morale which will yield improved
    productivity and therefore greater profitability!
    
    And then we can worry less about lightning fried turkey parts falling
    from the sky!
    
    Why am I suddenly reminded of Chicken Little?!
    
    	--Catherine--*
                        

>    DECeees have said it before, it is not the monetary value of the bird that
>    what is at steak here, 


	Nasser, I sometimes wonder how much your tongue is in your cheek!


	Heather

    
    
    Nasser and others,
    
    
    
    When you are supporting a family, it compounds the concern over the
    stability of one's continued employement.  Health care and putting food
    on the table become a critical part of one's thought process when a
    person considers their employment situation.
    
    
    Mike

    Re: .45
    
    	There has been numerous psycological theories on how human being
    perform under various circumtances.   It has been proven that the first
    degree of needs are: satisfy (support) self and family with food,
    shelter, etc (the basics).   If a human being does not/can not satisfy
    these basic needs, the amount of time spent in trying to satisfy these
    basic needs increases, until you have satisfied them.   The famous
    psycologist Maslow 'created' the Maslow Theory of Needs.   Maslow found 
    that only after human beings complied with the 'basic needs', then we will
    venture ourselves to satisfying other needs (recreation, comfort, etc.).
    However, he found that the basic needs, were so important to us, that any 
    human being will basically stop any other activities until the fullfillment
    of the basic needs was accomplished.
    
    How this relates to employment ?   The means of the present (modern
    society) to satisfy the basic needs is employment.  It can be self
    employment or you can be employed by others.   If you think that you
    maybe threaten of being without employment in the future, you began
    your logical activity - looking for ways to overcome the potential
    'show stopper'.   As the potential problem increses, you will allocate
    more time to find a solution (another job).    If the potential problem
    becomes a reality, then all you time/effort will be allocated to solve
    it.
    
    How can you focus on anything else, if this is how mankind is
    psycologically set to act ?   That is only the natural way of things.
    Therefore, having TFSO (potential risk of having a problem impacting
    basic needs), will cause human beings to de-focus on 'the job at hand'
    to a urgent natural call (how will I overcome the risk of not being
    able to support myself and my family ?)
                                                              

    
    re: .46
    
    Just a nit, but I think it's Maslows's Hierarchy of Needs. Of course,
    since hierarchy is a dirty word in newspeak, perhaps I shouldn't
    note this.
    
    re: folks replying to Nasser, FYI:
    
    I think much of what the gentleman says, he says with tongue firmly
    planted in cheek.
    
    Glenn (who has giggled endlessly at /nasser's running commentary
          on life, love, work, and, especially, turkeys and Canobie lake)
      
    
    re:

    When I learned about Maslow they described it as his pyramid of
    needs. All means the same thing. Food, water, shelter come before
    self enlightenment. 8-)
    
    Jim C.
    

    
    Self-Actualization
         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    
    

    i just wanted to add a note that my views in life, love, work, 
    and happiness are accumulations of my own years of living and they are
    not a by products of fluke accident by any chance also working in DEC has
    added to these views of mine and i just to make sure to relate that these 
    are mine and only mine and no else's by any means or sort.

    i think exchanges like these between DECeees are good and healthy and
    can only help to raise our awareness of each others, our work, DEC,
    life, and the humans aspects behind each and every one of us.

    ps. the note few back about human needs is excellent note and well
    written , i agree with it too.

    \nasser

>    re: folks replying to Nasser, FYI:
>    I think much of what the gentleman says, he says with tongue firmly
>    planted in cheek.
    
I have heard this rumor also, but... with all the uncertainy around
Digital lately, Jobs, Turkeys and other things, the question of
whether or not Nasser is serious falls VERY low on my Hierarchy of
needs! :-) 

Until Nasser comes right out and admits that he's joking, I'll just
assume that he means what he says and read his notes at face value.

Most other noters will indicate when they are joking, either in a
future reply or with a smiley face as they write. I can't remember
seeing either from Nasser, so I can only assume that he really thinks 
and feels the way he writes. :-) 

Charly 

    Re: -.1
    
    >Most other noters will indicate when they are joking, either in a
    >future reply or with a smiley face as they write. I can't remember
    >seeing either from Nasser,
    
    That would be as unnecessary as covering sugar with honey!
    
    

Nasser is not American, therefore he doesn't understand that
American culture requires you to say "ha, ha, I'm only kidding"
just in case the othery guy didn't get the joke.









Ha, ha, I'm only kidding (I thought I'd better
add that, even though I'm not American).

    A day without \nasser is like a day without sunshine.  I've never
    met him, but I too believe most of his notes are written with tongue
    firmly planted in cheeks <---- that's a \nasser"ism".
    
    A dedicated \nasser conference would go a long way to helping my
    morale......Digital's answer to Dave Barry :-)
    
    

    What makes me feel better when events begin to get me down? 
    
    I imagine an electronic sleuth - a la 'Indiana Jones' - a thousand years 
    from now in a galaxy far, far away. They have restored the only remnants 
    of Earth's civilization - the collected notesfile writings of /nasser. 
    From these, all future knowledge of Earth, past and present, is 
    reconstructed.
    
    Puts it all in perspective and works as good as a glass of warm milk.
    
    J.B. 

    .-1

    thanks JB !!

    that is one of the nicests things any one told me this morning!

    i feel *SPECIAL* now !

    \bye!
    \nasser

    
    
    	re .46
    
    	There is of course one degree of need that comes before the basics
    	of food, shelter, etc., and that is self preservation. A deer that
    	is being chased by wolves will not stop to munch an acorn. Animals
    	react differently to this self preservation, also..a rabbit may be
    	totally paralyzed by fear that it allows a weasel to kill it at the
    	weasel's leisure. An opossum faints.
    
    	What does all this mean? People do not necessarily automatically
    	start job-shopping when layoffs hover over them: some get totally
    	stressed out to the point where they do nothing. They even go into
    	denial (it won't happen to me). Sometimes your job is so demanding 
    	that it leaves none of the normal daytime hours for job shopping.
    	
    	John
    
    	

    Re: .57
    
    	Absolutely right.  BTW, self preservation is one of the basic
    needs and the different human reactions (job hunting, denial, morale
    problems, paranoia, social and political problems) are just a
    reflection of each individual's way to cope with the problem or
    potential problem.

	From a comment on last IBM results:

>        Gerstner also did not rule out future employment reductions.
>        But he added, ``The employees have borne an unbelievable burden.
>Morale in some parts of the company is not strong. I'm worried about
>that. We want to put an end to the Chinese water torture they've been
>going through quarter after quarter, year after year.''
>        The executive could not offer specifics on when the ``torture'' would
>end, but said he hoped steps the company outlined Tuesday proved
>correct.

	I'd like to read the same thing in Digital management's prose if 
	possible with some concrete ways to limit the 'torture' like .0
	suggested.

	Jo�l

    
    Re 58.
    
    I see it the other way round.

    The rabbit is execising a survival strategy from its limited
    repertoire of behaviours.  If it "freezes" there's a chance that
    it will survive the encounter as many predators only respond to
    moving prey.  The 'freeze' response is common in many herbivores,
    birds and is often supported by camouflage.
    
    The Opossums technique is even better.  Many predators are naturally
    conditioned not to eat carrion.  When the Opossum "faints" it
    goes into a kind of suspended animation and simultaneously emits
    a foul odour.  The predator is often fooled into thinking
    that the Opossum is dead, and will not risk eating carrion.
    Both of these are excellent innate survival strategies, and not
    to be confused with the coping or non-coping strategies demonstrated
    by some poor person thinking that they are about to be laid off.
    
    It's also not unknown for a hunted or highly stressed animal to
    demonstrate unusual behaviours such as grabbing a mouthful of food in
    the midst of a chase.  This is described as a 'displacement behaviour'.
    Simply put, the nervous system is overloaded and the animal does not
    know how to respond, it generates a spontaneous inappropriate
    behaviour.  (The phenomena is documented in a book called "The
    Misbehaviour of Oraganisms" written by the Brelands in refutation
    of BF Skinner's work "The Behaviour of Organisms.)   This
    is (IMO) more analagous to a human simply not being able to work
    out the best strategy to deal with the current situation in
    our industry.

    The human response to the "threat" of a layoff is a theoretical
    construct rather than a matter of homeostasis (Maslow) or
    Stimulus-response psychology (Skinner).  If we applied such simple
    coping strategies to complex "what if" models, we'd probably all end up
    nuts in a few days.
    
    I tend to completely over-analyse and inevitably fall back on
    /nasser's strategy of 'kismet'.  ;-)
                    
    
     Colin

    >The 'freeze' response is common in many herbivores,
    >birds and is often supported by camouflage.

    good point Colin, may i also add that also cats not just rabbits freeze 
    when light is shine on them, it is definitely a survival act of nature
    that serves to preserves the species.

    >The human response to the "threat" of a layoff is a theoretical
    >construct rather than a matter of homeostasis (Maslow) or
    >Stimulus-response psychology (Skinner).  If we applied such simple
    >coping strategies to complex "what if" models, we'd probably all end up
    >nuts in a few days.

    although i dont completely understand the above (to many medical terms
    included) , it sure sounds logical to me, and i have to agree with you on 
    this but please note a subtle similarity here, for humans the layoff is 
    like the light being shined on the rabbit, but where a bone the rabbit 
    freezes when faced with the light, some humans instead might panic , and
    it is this panic that we need to discuss here and try to analyses and to
    find a way to handle it and take a grip off.

    \nasser

    
    You could be right.  The turkeys froze and they also got
    TFSO'ed.  Or is that another note?
    
    
    

    
    I'm not a hunter, but my father once told me that, as kids,
    they'd whistle at a rabbit, which would get it to turn toward
    them and freeze.  Whereupon they would blow it's head off.
    
    So, if anyone around you is "whistling while they work", it
    may be a gambit to get you to sit still.
    
    

    >... Whereupon they would blow it's head off
    
    OMI'GOD !!!
    
    no poor little rabbit deserve to die like this for crying out loud !
    
    \nasser

    How about a dear that stops in the road beacause of your headlights.
    
    Blam.....  Road Pizza..  Get the picture.  (Sorry Nasser!)
    
    - Mike

    Sort of like the Customer that is dazzled by all of the Marketing Hype
    about Alpha, turns to Digital, and finds itself ensnared in a
    Bureaucracy that fights it's every attempt to buy something simple... 
    
    :-)
    
    q