To Replace or be Replaced? That is the worst question!
About 3 years ago, I was marked on a mysterious email. Somebody in the organization needed some marketing related material and the Program Manager, based out of the US, who usually handled such requests directed the person to me.
Except, I had no idea why I was expected to handle the request.
I reached out to my manager and realized that I was replacing the Program Manager. At that time, I was working in an Asian country and I realized that the role was being outsourced to me!
Following this, I faced days of awkward interactions during the hand-over with the Program Manager. I even got the chance to meet him face-to-face, because I was traveling there and it got even more awkward. I didn't know whether to apologize or just survive the situation quietly. I hadn't done anything wrong - except it felt like it.
See, nobody talks about the how it affects the person replacing another in such a scenario. Everybody talks about the person who's replaced - "how will he or she manage? Do they have savings? It's such a blow to their ego"; but nobody understands the emotional upheaval the person replacing another faces - the overwhelming feeling of misguided guilt. It took me a while to overcome it.
But that day I walked away with an important lesson - the pyramid gets smaller as you climb. To explain, most organisations are structured like a pyramid. As you climb the pyramid, the opportunities lessen and for every step up is a fight. And I was surprised that many senior employees in large companies hadn't learnt this lesson. They had overstayed their welcome and that's what had happened with the Program Manager too.
While it's a common assumption that jobs are usually outsourced to Asia, let me turn that notion on its head. I've had the displeasure of being replaced too. I was working in a large services company in 2013 for the Europe region. And when the EU passed a rule that outsourced jobs had to stay within the EU, my role was moved to Romania. Luckily, I had a fantastic manager who had warned me months ahead that I could expect a change and that I should look out for another job. For my luck, I was able to find another just in the nick of time.
Replacing another person in a job or being replaced, both leave you scarred in some way or another. The bad news is that we need to get used to it. With automation on the rise in almost all industries and all disciplines, including marketing, we should be ready for a new world.
Except, I had no idea why I was expected to handle the request.
I reached out to my manager and realized that I was replacing the Program Manager. At that time, I was working in an Asian country and I realized that the role was being outsourced to me!
Following this, I faced days of awkward interactions during the hand-over with the Program Manager. I even got the chance to meet him face-to-face, because I was traveling there and it got even more awkward. I didn't know whether to apologize or just survive the situation quietly. I hadn't done anything wrong - except it felt like it.
See, nobody talks about the how it affects the person replacing another in such a scenario. Everybody talks about the person who's replaced - "how will he or she manage? Do they have savings? It's such a blow to their ego"; but nobody understands the emotional upheaval the person replacing another faces - the overwhelming feeling of misguided guilt. It took me a while to overcome it.
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| source: pixabay |
While it's a common assumption that jobs are usually outsourced to Asia, let me turn that notion on its head. I've had the displeasure of being replaced too. I was working in a large services company in 2013 for the Europe region. And when the EU passed a rule that outsourced jobs had to stay within the EU, my role was moved to Romania. Luckily, I had a fantastic manager who had warned me months ahead that I could expect a change and that I should look out for another job. For my luck, I was able to find another just in the nick of time.
Replacing another person in a job or being replaced, both leave you scarred in some way or another. The bad news is that we need to get used to it. With automation on the rise in almost all industries and all disciplines, including marketing, we should be ready for a new world.
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