Ousted by outsourcing
Follow these five tips for devising a game plan if your company has outsourced an IT project.
 
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Dion Brooks had to take a couple of days off to attend his grandfather's funeral. When he came back to his desk at work, someone else was sitting there. He found out the hard way - his job as an Internet administrator for a firewall manufacturer had been outsourced.
"To this day, I don't know why they decided to outsource the Internet operation," says Brooks, who now owns BGB Consulting, a network consultancy in Arlington, Texas. "Not only did no one ever feel the need to explain it to me, but I question the ethics of waiting until I was away to make the switch."
Unfortunately, Brooks' story is not unusual. There are far too many anecdotes about network administrators who have had the rug pulled out from under them and never knew why.
The most common problem IT professionals face today is being ousted from their jobs by consultants, according to human resources executives. It's very tempting for upper management to compartmentalize a messy project and hand it off to someone else.
"Outsourcing is . . . so demoralizing for loyal employees," says Peg Toomey, director of human resources at New York-based SuperNova, Inc., a software development company. A 20-year human resources veteran, Toomey specializes in IT hiring for many industries.
If your employer outsources an IT project you were responsible for, the situation may seem bleak. But short of starting your own company, there are a few strategies worth trying.
Get information
If you find yourself faced with a new boss as a result of outsourcing, do not storm into your old boss' office - yet. First, you need information. Find out what kind of skills the new boss has, and honestly assess how you measure up. Never run to complain to the higher-ups before you have this information, or you're likely to make a fool of yourself.
Get some training
By outsourcing, your company is admitting it needs new skills. Get the training you need to diversify your skill set, and make yourself more marketable. Perhaps your boss is even willing to foot the bill. Ask your manager to invest in the company by investing in you as an employee, one of its assets. It's hard for employers to resist that kind of initiative and loyalty, says Chandra Patel, CEO of Champs Software in Crystal River, Fla., a client/server network environment developer.
Patel knows of what he speaks - he fired half of his IT staff after he outsourced some major software development. "But I would have paid for training for any of the IT staff who were willing to learn new things," he says. "In my case, many on the IT staff just got mad. But the ones who went to training are still here."
If the executives won't send you to training, you probably don't want to work for them anyway.
Befriend the new boss
Even if you've already begun circulating your resume, it may take a while to find a job you like. In the meantime, it can't hurt to offer your new boss a helping hand. You may be able to gain some leverage, earn a good reference or even land responsibility for part of a project. In Brooks' case, his new boss knew nothing about the Internet. Perhaps he could have won back his decision-making power or been given other projects to run.
Quietly put your resume out
Even if you don't want to leave, do this anyway. Go on some job interviews, as well. Job interviews give you perspective that your employer isn't the only game in town. Besides, a job offer from another company may give you good leverage with your present employer. Sometimes employers need a wake-up call.
Another reason to circulate your resume is to prepare yourself for the reality of leaving the company. Sometimes it won't be your choice, so you may as well be proactive. It makes everything less stressful. Don't just distribute your resume, either. Network with your peers and find out what jobs are out there. Attend trade shows if you can - these are great places to network.
Talk to the powers that be
Say your piece, by all means. Just do it calmly and only after you've befriended the new person. But do it. Focus the conversation on how the outsourcing decision and transition were handled, as much as what was done.
If for no other reason, do it because as a professional you need to command respect. Even if you leave the company, you never know where your former colleagues and managers will end up. Show them that you're a straightforward, well-spoken person with initiative. Plus, it will give you peace of mind.
Tadjer is a freelance writer in New York. She can be reached at rivkat@mindspring.com.
You'll also find information about outsourcing and the firms mentioned in this story.
