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Advice for Surviving a Buyout?

Posted by Cliff on from the survival-in-the-corporate-workplace dept.

Anonymous for Good Reason asks: "I'm working for a small-medium sized software company that looks like it's going to be bought by a much larger company. We (employees) aren't being told anything yet, but the behavior of our management and some of the information we have been asked to provide all make it pretty clear that somebody is going through due diligence and trying to close the deal. How have other people fared during these kinds of buy-outs? What did you do to make sure you kept your job and weren't RIF'd after the dust settled? How did your stock options, pay, benefits, etc transfer, and was there anything you would have done different to protect yourself? Was the cultural change a problem, or were you welcomed warmly into the fold? I'm mostly interested in stories from people whose companies were bought by the really big players (IBM, MS, Sun, CA, HPaq, etc.) since that's what this will probably be. Since I have never been through a merger of this type, I'm not sure what to expect and with the current economy I would like to increase my chances of staying employed. Any insight the Slashdot crowd has would be interesting."

3 of 51 comments (clear)

  1. Don't admit to liking Michael Bolton! by QuietRiot · · Score: 3, Funny

    Michael: I told those fudge-packers that I like Michael Bolton's music. God.

  2. Expect the unexpected... by Ocelot+Wreak · · Score: 5, Funny
    ... and always keep your parachute packed, as you never know when you're going to need to use it.

    Good luck! Regards,
    -too frequent chute user.

    --
    "I figure you're here 'cause you need some whacko who's willing to stick his finger in the fan. So who are we helping?
  3. Let's see... by Muad'Dave · · Score: 3, Funny

    1. Go to a party where you're hypnotized, and have the hypnotist die before bringing you out of your trance.
    2. Don't show up for work, citing that "You don't feel like it."
    3. Disassemble a cube wall or two.
    4. Tell your bosses that you really don't work all that hard.
    5. Figure out a way to collect all those fractional pennies "laying around."
    6. Avoid being sent to pound-you-in-the-*ss Federal Prison
    7. Steal your nerdy co-workers red Swingline Stapler.

    (for the humor-impaired, this is the plot to the movie "Office Space", a geek standard).

    Seriously, good luck! A few good things can happen: you're kept and enjoy your job. you're laid off and find a better job. You hate the new company and find a better job.

    --
    Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.