Firing and/or promoting up?

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who changes jobs every 10-12 months, leaving one company for another in what appears to be a step up. Now, I know her from long ago and have never worked with her but I always considered her to be very charming and confident yet not too intelligent or hard working. I feel as though she is getting great references in order for her current company to get foist her onto another unsuspecting company..hence 'firing up.' Has anyone else ever heard of this or had an experience like this? It just seems unfair as she keeps getting these great titles and $$ but doesn't seem worthy of keeping the position.

[Anonymous]

Peter principle

[Anonymous]

I remember talking to a guy at orientation at PWC a few years ago and he had spent a year at just about every firm prior....Grant, Deloitte, KPMG, Booz, Accenture, EY...I think he fit the mold of what you are speaking of...he was a Manager level...not sure if he's still at PWC but his claim was each of these firms were "not a fit" for him and his skills, really, NONE of them??

[Anonymous]

I was like that. With the government contracts it could take weeks to get a desk and equipment set up or activate the clearance, etc. Then I would sit for months at a time doing nothing but surfing the web. Sometimes I taught an online course and make extra money doing that. Sometimes I was consulting. I wasn't very politically savvy though. I would get bored from the lack of work and employee engagement or client engagement or my one client proponent would get transferred. There would be no one left at the client site who even knew what I was being paid to work on. I would approach HR. Big mistake.

HR, I haven't actually worked on anything for 10 months. HR would move my desk somewhere else. Maybe they would have a meeting or two with me. Next thing I know I am getting a severance package and laid off. Collected unemployment for 26 weeks while I created some consulting work unpaid until I was off unemployment. Sold the consulting work. Got another contracting gig.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was like that. With the government contracts it could take weeks to get a desk and equipment set up or activate the clearance, etc. Then I would sit for months at a time doing nothing but surfing the web. Sometimes I taught an online course and make extra money doing that. Sometimes I was consulting. I wasn't very politically savvy though. I would get bored from the lack of work and employee engagement or client engagement or my one client proponent would get transferred. There would be no one left at the client site who even knew what I was being paid to work on. I would approach HR. Big mistake.

HR, I haven't actually worked on anything for 10 months. HR would move my desk somewhere else. Maybe they would have a meeting or two with me. Next thing I know I am getting a severance package and laid off. Collected unemployment for 26 weeks while I created some consulting work unpaid until I was off unemployment. Sold the consulting work. Got another contracting gig.

Op here--Thanks for sharing. The only difference here is that this is the private sector so I know there is constant work and she never gets let go but always leaves for another position. I'm not sure if she is 'encouraged' to look by her current company so they can avoid the red tape that goes with actually firing a person. I'm really just curious if this is a way people climb to higher paying/more prestigious titles...falling up rather than down between the cracks.

[Anonymous]

With it and government contracts very normal. My husband typically stays 2-3 years, sometimes less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was like that. With the government contracts it could take weeks to get a desk and equipment set up or activate the clearance, etc. Then I would sit for months at a time doing nothing but surfing the web. Sometimes I taught an online course and make extra money doing that. Sometimes I was consulting. I wasn't very politically savvy though. I would get bored from the lack of work and employee engagement or client engagement or my one client proponent would get transferred. There would be no one left at the client site who even knew what I was being paid to work on. I would approach HR. Big mistake.

HR, I haven't actually worked on anything for 10 months. HR would move my desk somewhere else. Maybe they would have a meeting or two with me. Next thing I know I am getting a severance package and laid off. Collected unemployment for 26 weeks while I created some consulting work unpaid until I was off unemployment. Sold the consulting work. Got another contracting gig.

Op here--Thanks for sharing. The only difference here is that this is the private sector so I know there is constant work and she never gets let go but always leaves for another position. I'm not sure if she is 'encouraged' to look by her current company so they can avoid the red tape that goes with actually firing a person. I'm really just curious if this is a way people climb to higher paying/more prestigious titles...falling up rather than down between the cracks.

Maybe money. Many jobs have no raises or bonuses so the only way to get more money is to job and company jump. My husband tripled his salary with a series of moves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Peter principle

What's this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Peter principle

What's this?

This isn't the Peter Principle. The Peter Principle is promoted to the highest level of incompetency.

The coworker describes someone who makes better pay by leaving to another job.

After 3 years, research does show that you will make more money by leaving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was like that. With the government contracts it could take weeks to get a desk and equipment set up or activate the clearance, etc. Then I would sit for months at a time doing nothing but surfing the web. Sometimes I taught an online course and make extra money doing that. Sometimes I was consulting. I wasn't very politically savvy though. I would get bored from the lack of work and employee engagement or client engagement or my one client proponent would get transferred. There would be no one left at the client site who even knew what I was being paid to work on. I would approach HR. Big mistake.

HR, I haven't actually worked on anything for 10 months. HR would move my desk somewhere else. Maybe they would have a meeting or two with me. Next thing I know I am getting a severance package and laid off. Collected unemployment for 26 weeks while I created some consulting work unpaid until I was off unemployment. Sold the consulting work. Got another contracting gig.

What consulting work did you create and sell? Isn't it a service?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was like that. With the government contracts it could take weeks to get a desk and equipment set up or activate the clearance, etc. Then I would sit for months at a time doing nothing but surfing the web. Sometimes I taught an online course and make extra money doing that. Sometimes I was consulting. I wasn't very politically savvy though. I would get bored from the lack of work and employee engagement or client engagement or my one client proponent would get transferred. There would be no one left at the client site who even knew what I was being paid to work on. I would approach HR. Big mistake.

HR, I haven't actually worked on anything for 10 months. HR would move my desk somewhere else. Maybe they would have a meeting or two with me. Next thing I know I am getting a severance package and laid off. Collected unemployment for 26 weeks while I created some consulting work unpaid until I was off unemployment. Sold the consulting work. Got another contracting gig.

What consulting work did you create and sell? Isn't it a service?

Workshop materials. Wasn't being paid though while I was unemployment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Peter principle

What's this?

This isn't the Peter Principle. The Peter Principle is promoted to the highest level of incompetency.

The coworker describes someone who makes better pay by leaving to another job.

After 3 years, research does show that you will make more money by leaving.

I only stay in jobs for about 3 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Peter principle

What's this?

This isn't the Peter Principle. The Peter Principle is promoted to the highest level of incompetency.

The coworker describes someone who makes better pay by leaving to another job.

After 3 years, research does show that you will make more money by leaving.

I only stay in jobs for about 3 years.

First off, the OP states that they have never worked with the person and that said person only stays in jobs 10-12 months..not three years. Three years seems like a perfectly reasonable period of time to stay at one job.

[Anonymous]

is it always 10-12 months or are there long stints followed by short stints.

I was in a job for 7 years and wanted to leave but because of a pretty stringent non-compete- I took a job for 18 months that I did not really like because of the NC. Then I left that job for my new job and I am leaving the new one for a another job less than 10 months in because it is a terrible fit and nothing like what I expected. Moral of this story- should have stayed at the second job!

Not one person I have interviewed with thinks anything of it so maybe this is what your coworker is experiencing. And I am getting a significant bump in salary so it makes sense to move!

[Anonymous]

I’m not sure why you’re bregusing her this. She’s clearly smart. Long gone are the days where you stay at a job for 20 years. She moves up and makes more money. Good for her.