A consulting company, and I was their first employee, went from small to big in the "boom" of Flex consulting but when the economy came they made "cuts". Each employee got 10-15% pay cuts and clauses that said if you're not working (inbetween clients) then you didn't get paid...aka no point in being an employee anymore. They also fired 2 out of the top five paid and skilled employees (that'd be me). Most companies just have employees grumble but they take it....but it went differently for us.

See, a lot of us had known each other before the consulting company and knew within seconds through instant messenger what was going on - so what happened? The other top three skilled employees left - pretty much saying "you can take your pay cuts and laying off your best force and shove it". The company quickly went into decline because they had no real architects left and they had to start hiring again people for architect positions who weren't ready for them. Now they're having problems keeping clients because their failing on the job. We'll see how long they actually survive if at all.

So in my experience? Go find a new job and don't take it - if you are skilled and a good person to work with, it's not hard to find a job no matter what the economy looks like. One person can't usually make a difference but a group can....and your team should walk.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2009 12:06PM by torak.