Cult of Fear. The cult has a new text… Extreme Ownership. They are using this book to put folks on performance management for things they have no control over. “You need to take ownership over not meeting the service goals.” There are many processes and not one frontline employee controls all of them. They are putting individuals on performance management for not meeting a group service goal. At what point will the cult stop blaming their frontline? At what point will the frontline unite against this garbage rhetoric? The core values are now fear, hopelessness, depression, and anxiety. “Hey, we’re better than Farmers and GEICO who laid off thousands. (Under their breath) We’ll performance management them out instead.”
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The point is less about what the book says versus the company’s willingness to manipulate it for their purposes. The culture has shifted and they are getting rid of those they cannot trust. The book is a method for weeding people. Embrace the new culture or be gone. Experience is rapidly exiting the company. The higher ups will like come down even harder when they see their JD Power legacy disappear. There is a crisis of leadership at USAA. The company has turned leaders into managers - managing processes and people. This is why the company had become so heartless to the frontline.
Maybe you read a different book. “Extreme Ownership” is a book written by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, both of whom are retired Navy SEAL officers. The book is about leadership and how it can be applied to any team, family, or organization. The authors argue that leaders must take full responsibility for everything that happens under their command, and that there is no one else to blame. They also emphasize the importance of humility, discipline, and teamwork in achieving success.
Actually, I think that mentioning Well 2.0 is a clear reference to Chase Bank with BOA on the side. Not saying that Wells didn't follow suite, but they did learn from the master (not naming the CEO). Let's not forget that USAA is a BOA recruitment center, so.... If you are going to reference Wells, then 2.0 would have taken place based on the 2013 findings. Many things have happened since that time frame. Not a fun time. If you think that USAA is bad, just realize things can get worse. I know this because I was there before and after the restructure.
The news is sad but very true. After large layoffs, the company has paid a fortune in severance payments and other types of assistance such as partial Cobra payments. The next step it to drive people out either by quiet cutting, manipulation or writing them out in order to avoid further severance payout. This is when it is best to find another company to work for, unless you can afford to wait it out. Trying to compete in a job market saturated with laid off and fired professionals is not an easy task, especially if you are used to bringing in 6+ figures a year based on your skill set. It is just an odd market for right now.
Now that "George" has mansplained the bottom 5% are fired and the top 5% are rewarded, I am fully satisfied with all Usaa's past and future actions regarding their employees, in perpetuity. I see no need for future posts and comments here as all of Usaa's actions tie back to a legitimate purpose in service of the members. Drive on!
Claims IT here-- 1) Er--t process barriers between here and getting XYZ done 2) orders: "Go do XYZ!" 3) attempt to do XYZ 4) can't do XYZ b/c of process barriers 5) accuse worker of failure.
Rinse and repeat.
Every time we turn around there's another process barrier put up. Mgt's answer to any f*ck-up is another process barrier to slow things down or stop them completely.
No wonder things don't get done and we have ppl quitting left and right.
Technically, it is being done in multiple financial institutions, including JP Morgan Chase. There is always a performance curve (standard deviation). Bottom 5% are likely to join unemployment lines and top 5% are likely to get bonuses and raises. Another caveat is third party workers. Company can always hire more consultants for temporary projects if required, instead of keeping FTEs and providing them with benefits.
Usually, poor economic times speed up the process!