Comments on: HP Pay Cuts – an unfair act of economic opportunism and greed.

By: Social Media, the winds of change

Social Media, the winds of change — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:44:27 +0000

[...] my recent posts about HP and Mark Hurd (CEO, HP), triggered by nothing more than hearing "if you don′t like it there′s [...]

By: Damian Saunders

Damian Saunders — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:23:16 +0000

Ok everyone, with over 1300 comments on this post and almost a year since I wrote it I think it's time we moved the discussion to a more recent post, so I'm closing the comments on this one.
There are three other HP articles on this site, I suggest my most recent update is the most appropriate continuation of this thread.
Thank You.

By: HP's economic opportunism and greed, one year on.

HP's economic opportunism and greed, one year on. — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:10:07 +0000

[...] almost one year since I wrote my original post about HP, under CEO Mark Hurd’s tenure, called HP Pay Cuts – an unfair act of economic opportunism and greed so with that, and approximately 1300 comments later, I think its fitting to round out the [...]

By: UK Employee

UK Employee — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 03:52:48 +0000

Yep, seriously…however, you also get an email from Mark Hurd…

Can't wait to see what 'sincere and personal' means – I have my 10 Years of Service coming up in May.

By: Unhappy HP'r

Unhappy HP'r — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:13:02 +0000

Just when you think they can't sink any lower….. HP has changed the Years of Service Recognition program eff 1/1/10. No more eaward component. You just get a certificate that your manager has to create and they give your manager “ideas on how to commemorate the milestone in a sincere and personal way.” Seriously????????

By: Lyndon St Annes

Lyndon St Annes — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:56:34 +0000

The Account Director may well be out before the Summer anyway. EDS just lost Desktop and may fail to make the cut to keep the main Software devlopment and support contract that is now about to be reopened for tender. All he can look forward to is “taking up an outside opportunity” and a fat wedge in cash to keep his integrity intact.

The mail to the plebs has probably already been drafted and the inevitable HP pull through evangelist that will line up to replace him is doubtless being cloned in California as we whinge

Meanwhile more “good news” for Hurd.

Yesterday EDS lost a £200m compensation claim against Rupert Murdoch's UK BSkyB for a failed eCRM solution . Judge said “EDS lied and deceived” to win the work.

http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2010/01/...

http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/news/22568...

OK not strictly an HP mess. But HP will have to pay the fine! Best of all Mark Hurd is himself a Director at Murdoch's News Corporation (well it's not as if being CEO, President and Chairman of HP is a full time job at a mere $30m p.a is it?). It would be worth the trip to see him tip up with a bag of 20,000,000,000 1p coins to pay it in as grudging a manner as possible :^)

By: Metoo

Metoo — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:50:21 +0000

In a way I feel sorry for him. All these mid-level execs have to do what Hurd says or their career is over….They are all terrified and will do anything just to get their next bonus payment. Contrast this new culture with the old EDS-way of doing what is best for your customer.

I wonder what they'll do with the VoW next year when the scores are even worse ????

By: Haddy Nuff

Haddy Nuff — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:34:21 +0000

Hi – do you know where I can see the 'unsanitised' VOW survey? I'd love to see what people really said before management glossed over it! Looks like Mark Manser is taking a leaf out of Hurds book when it comes to employees, his recent email about the union negotiations were actually quite insulting and just shows management couldn't care less about the 'small' people that actually do hard work and make money for HP.

Personally I couln't be more happy at HP losing the Desktop Contract, Hurd and his cronies aren't interested in providing a good service to the customer, it's all about the money to them, and it seems the contracts may be getting wise to this.

By: Sad Place to be

Sad Place to be — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 06:48:32 +0000

Coming up to 13 years at EDS/HP. Here are my observations:
* There's not that much difference between EDS since Dick Brown and HP, but Mark Hurd has raised it to an art form.
* EDS saved HP's butt last year with “our” results, yet we also took some major pain on salaries, WFR etc. – odd thing to do to the people making your profit for you.
* HP refuses to acknowledge any bad news. They trumpet any contract win, but NOTHING is ever heard about losing pieces of work. HP recently lost some Telstra work to IBM (according to y sister-in-law, who works at IBM, who was crowing about how IBM had to fix the HP mess). And they've also lost a sizeable piece of the GMAC desktop and hosting work to IBM. What they don't realise, is that there are customers out there who HATE HP, and when HP swallowed up EDS, they didn't like it one bit. So when time came for recompete, these customers couldn't get away fast enough. EDS won the hosting off IBM relatively recently, but now that “we're” HP, we're on the nose all of a sudden.
* My account is going to close down sometime this year (there are no details, not even for the poor sods working directly for the customer) but we know it's going to happen sometime. So we expect to be made redundant. My immediate manager keeps telling me that having come into HP will mean “all sorts of opportunities” and that my manager will “support me 100% in anything I want to do”. However I suspect that when push comes to shove, it will be much easier to just put me on the “5 week plan” than do anything to try to get me another job within HP. I (and the other two people in my team, all of which have 13-25 years experience with this customer) are resigned to this. In fact, I think that despite the worry of not getting another job quickly, (others in our team, highly skilled as they were, took up to nine months to get employed after being dumped early last year), are so sick of the place that we almost welcome it.
* Morale is way worse than management will admit. All they have to do is look at blogs like this one, or read the “unsanitised” results of the VOW survey. There are to be presentations on this in coming weeks. that should be hilarious once the spin doctors have finished with it.

By: Damian Saunders

Damian Saunders — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:20:53 +0000

I agree and good on you for making the realisation. There sure is life outside HP, getting out of there made me realise what a soul sapping beast that place really is.
Buying anything HP is a career ending move in my business! At lest until they demonstrate congruency with their corporate values. Certainly not the case under Mark Hurd.