AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT ACCENTURE (06/25/23)

JUNE 25, 2023— 218 IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

According to Accenture, it will be laying off another 218 Austin, Texas employees after Accenture laid off more than 500 other employees at the same facility in May 2023.

MAY 20, 2021 — 549 EMPLOYEES IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

According to a filing with the Texas Workforce Commission, Accenture plans to lay off 549 employees in June 2023.

According to a company spokesperson, "From time to time, we adjust our workforce on ongoing projects to meet the needs of our clients. We are fully committed to supporting our people through this transition."

APRIL 3, 2023 — Original post…

Dublin, Ireland-based Accenture, the international consultancy specializing in information technology services and consulting, has announced its plan to downsize its global operations.

The reduction in force will impact 2.5% of the company's workforce, or 19,000 employees over the coming eighteen months and extending into 2024.

Accenture Chief Executive Officer Julie Sweet noted that the company taking steps to lower our costs in the fiscal year 2024 and beyond while continuing to invest in our business and our people.”

“Our results of operations are affected by economic conditions, including macroeconomic conditions, the overall inflationary environment, and levels of business confidence. There continues to be significant economic and geopolitical uncertainty in many markets around the world, which has impacted and may continue to impact our business, particularly with regard to wage inflation and volatility in foreign currency exchange rates. In some cases, these conditions have slowed the pace and level of client spending."

"Given the overall inflationary environment, compensation has been and continues to increase faster than in prior years. We strive to adjust pricing as well as drive cost and delivery efficiencies, such as changing the mix of people and utilizing technology, to reduce the impact of compensation increases on our margin and contract profitability.

Our ability to grow our revenues and maintain or increase our margin could be adversely affected if we are unable to: match people and skills with the types or amounts of services and solutions clients are demanding; recover or offset increases in compensation; deploy our employees globally on a timely basis; manage attrition; and/or effectively assimilate new employees."

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? BEWARE OF THE CONSULTANTS

"Reimagining" is the latest meaningless buzzword that reminds us of all that is wrong with corporate America. If nothing else, the use of the word is designed to promote the use of expensive consultancies who pretend that their expertise is the answer to any question a company owner or executive may have.

Truth be told, most consultancies do not solve problems; they exist to provide cover to executives if something goes radically wrong that might affect their cushy jobs, perks, and privileges. Or act as the "fall guy" for the necessary personnel bloodletting when one must produce bottom-line results for Wall Street, the Board of Directors, or an activist investor.

Have you ever wondered how a first-in-the-class, grossly overpaid, and overvalued consultant fresh from a prestigious school without industry experience can make a significant difference in your company? One, they are accepted as "experts" with none of the encumbrances of office politics and hurt feelings that may inhibit current employees from obtaining an executive buy-in to the very same idea. And two, they identify the most intelligent guy in the company, follow their advice, condition the battlefield for a follow-up engagement, and reap the benefits of a hefty payday.

Along with "reimagining" comes the "new normal," which suspiciously looks like the old normal on a speeded-up timescale. If anything, the "new normal" benefits come from the habit-breaking that occurred during forced confinement or other restrictions.

Companies learned that remote office workers, appropriately managed, could be nearly as productive as workers in the office. And, without the significant burden of real estate and operational costs. Companies learned to reduce their HR costs by "badge-shifting" employees to outside personnel management agencies, so balancing staff and workload could be accomplished with minimum disruption and legal exposure. Companies accelerated their shift to cloud computing and hosted solutions that did not need to be continually updated, supported with an expensive internal IT staff, or require an after-hours helpdesk.

Other fun words include "optimization" and "digital interventions," which can mean anything you want them to be.

As for the “great reset,” it is little more than a globalist socialist authoritarian agenda that violates national sovereignty, much, in the same manner that the European Union dictated business regulations and taxes for all of Europe from Brussels, Belgium.

I will now leave you with your own thoughts about creating new products that jump the product extension line, increase revenue, reduce costs, and improve manageability. My favorite exercise is to draw a flowchart. Cut the pieces apart with low-tech scissors, throw the pieces in the air, and then try to reassemble them like a corporate jigsaw puzzle.

But beware, some solutions may not be legal, especially if you determine most of your payroll expense comes from older highly-paid employees with aging skills and high insurance costs that are easily replaceable. This is where a consultancy comes in handy.

A lesson for middle managers and aging executives: beware of consultants.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?