Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Is There a Glimmer of Hope in the Hewlett Packard Job Cut Announcement?

Today, Hewlett Packard Company (H-P), based in Palo Alto, California, announced it will cut 9,000 jobs and replace some of those workers with animated services. The computer behemoth will spend about $1 billion on this transition over several years according to Jerry A. Dicolo of the Wall Street Journal.

There is a silver lining...the article states H-P will hire 6,000 new workers! This means H-P will be looking for new talent, in new fields! And, yes...it is plausible that those who lose their current H-P jobs may have a shot at one of the new ones. Just because you have been working in one job, doesn't mean you can't go after a new one at the same firm.

How?

It cold be as simple as current employees taking the time to closely examine their strengths and ambitions then determine how to adapt their overall skills to the new look of the H-P positions. This needs to be a deep dive where current H-P employees are honest with themselves about what they have to offer in the firm's new automated age.

This automated concept isn't going away. It is here and we have to learn to live with it. And really what's the big deal? Humans invented and built the machines, now we have to learn how to work ourselves into the mix.

Automated services is also on the mind of former eBay CEO and California Gubinatorial Candidate Meg Whitman. I met Ms. Whitman at the Junior League of Chicago's Book Author Series luncheon at the Union League Club a few months ago. She was the featured speaker promoting her new book, "The Power of Many".

Whitman spoke about the need to balance the California state budget and to get Californians working again. She feels automation is one of the ways to balance that budget. She added while automated services will absorb some jobs now performed by Californians, automation leads the way for new jobs....this sounds similar to what H-P is planning.

Do I smell a job revolution? Is it possible for the Golden State to find a Pot of Gold at the end of a rainbow?

Trish Hoffman




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