Monday, March 29, 2010

Silicon Valley firms slip in workplace rankings


Say "Hello Socialism"

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Monday, March 29, 2010 (SF Chronicle)
Silicon Valley firms slip in workplace rankings
Ryan Flinn, Bloomberg News

Talk about bad timing: Within weeks of being named the best place to work
last year, NetApp Inc. announced plans to cut about 6 percent of its
workforce.

It was February 2009, during the worst days of the recession. Customers
had slashed their budgets, leaving the company with no choice but to
eliminate jobs, NetApp said at the time.

NetApp's woes may have signaled the end of Silicon Valley's dominance of
the best-workplace rankings. When the list came out this year, the
Sunnyvale data-storage company dropped to No. 7. And for the first time
since 2006, the three top companies were outside the region.

No. 1 is SAS Institute Inc. in Cary, N.C. It's never had layoffs for
economic reasons, according to Fortune magazine, which publishes the list.

Job cuts are just one of the reasons behind Silicon Valley's diminished
appeal: Shrinking paychecks, less generous perks and the high cost of
housing can make the area a harder sell for workers.

"I've been doing this for 22 years, and this is the worst I've seen in
Silicon Valley," said John Rosica, head of the San Jose office of
Management Recruiters International.

Read more...


Submitted by Kathleen Rogan

25 comments:

Steve Sinai said...

What's this got to do with socialism?

Anonymous said...

Nothing. But get ready for another boring, incoherent rant anyway.

* * *

The Research Triangle area of NC has been the a developing tech hot spot for a number of years now.

It's interesting to note that silicon and life-science based business centers thrive in close proximity to university clusters.

Silicon Valley has Stanford, UCSF, UCB, UCSC, and others.

The Research Triangle has NC State, Duke and UNC.

Kathleen Rogan said...

California is sending business away. California is controlled by Big Unions. California Democratic Party is bought and controlled by Big Unions. Until you realize this you will remain clueless and eventually a victim of your own demise.

Steve Sinai said...

Having rotted away a good part of my career staring at computer screens in gray Silicon Valley cubicles, I've never understood how workplaces in Silicon Valley could ever be rated so highly in workplace surveys.

Don't forget Boston with MIT, Harvard, Tufts, etc.

Anonymous said...

The top companies throw an amazing amount of benefits towards their employees. We're talking about on-site chefs, free bicycles for use around town, stuff like that. It goes way beyond 401(k) matching.

We just took a work satisfaction survey at work (I'm in the SV too), but it was administered by a different association than the one mentioned in Kathleen's post.

Kathy Meeh said...

Kathleen let us be "clueless" in peace. California has been driving away business for years, even when there was no deep recession, yet the State continued to thrive. Now you and want to bust-up unions. Unions represent workers, think employers across-the-(chalk)-board will do that fairly and effectively without unions?

Kathleen Rogan said...

In the 60's unions represented about 30% of the workforce in America. After that unions lost membership and around 2006 union membership ran between 3-6% in America. Unions have founded relationships in the Calif Legis. The big unions are the prisoners union and seiu and the teachers union. They have become to big for their britches. They are controlling the calif legis. Unions are trying to grow bigger in calif, they are sucking the life out of us. They are threatening business. There are many union employees that do not agree with all the unions stand for but have no voice. They are scared. Not all unions are bad. The state is not thriving, not anymore, hasn't in a long time. Government is subsidizing green labor. It will be in Silicon Valley, union jobs. I guess we will have to see.

Kathy Meeh said...

Oh yea, SEIU, the Service Employees International Union (home health care workers, janitors, security officers) those people. And the CTA Teachers Union. And the "prisoners union" workers or inmates? So, these big, bad union people that are controlling the CA legislature and threatening business? Sure wouldn't want these people to get a fare deal, and glad to know about that one.

Anonymous said...

Kathleen "I have no facts to back up my absurd claims" Rogan strikes again!

Union membership in 2006 was 12% as reported by the BLS, but let's not let FACTS get the way of kneejerk union bashing.

Perform your own search here:
http://www.bls.gov/webapps/legacy/cpslutab1.htm

Steve Sinai said...

The original article was about how Silicon Valley companies no longer dominate when it comes to best workplaces. This has nothing to do with UNIONS!! or NAZIS!! or COMMIES!! or GEORGE SOROS!!

Steve Sinai said...

--Kathleen "I have no facts to back up my absurd claims" Rogan strikes again!

If Glenn Beck said it, or it was on youtube, that's evidence enough.

Kathleen Rogan said...

Your stats listed illegals. I was told by some union reps that they don't always post those. Where did you get your facts?? stats?? BS WHO?

Anonymous said...

How do you know that my "stats listed illegals" if you don't even have a clue where I got my data from?

You are the worst poster. It's like debating with a rock except that you are willfully ignorant.

My apologies to all the rocks out there.

Anonymous said...

The BLS=Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

He/She posted a link to the statistics tables.

Anonymous said...

I find this amusing rant by Kathleen Rogan to be hypocritical. Her husband is a card carrying member of Local 39. Since she doesn't work and he supports her, isn't she living the American Dream?

mike bell said...

Unless it is willful, ignorance of the facts is a very flimsy cover for hypocracy.

Insane in the membrane said...

Kathleen is a high school drop out. What a hipocrite. She also makes Kathy Meeh look sane!! Take your medications Kathleen, remember 2 tablets 2 times daily with a meal.

dinky-doodle said...

"Kathleen is a high school drop out."

A common characteristic among Glenn Beck disciples.

I graduated from Oceana and all I got was this lousy t-shirt said...

"Kathleen is a high school drop out. What a hipocrite"

Did your high school teach spelling or did you drop out too? If you tell me you are a product of the Pacifica school system, I will understand.

Kathy Meeh said...

At least Kathleen is not a coward hiding behind a bunch of fake names like you "Insane", "Dinky", "Graduated". This is a pretty low level of dialog isn't it?

Kathleen Rogan said...

LOL! Oooh. I hit some nerve. Reveal yourself coward.

Kathy Meehs Prom Date said...

At least Kathleen, went to the prom!!!!

Kathy Meeh said...

Since I went to two High School proms (Junior and Senior) with dates, and don't remember you-- you must be that guy we saw sitting alone in McDonalds.

John "A No. 1" Curtis said...

@Kathy Meehs Prom Date:
You call yourself Kathy Meeh's prom date yet you claim Kathy didn't go to the prom. Which one is it?

@Kathy Meeh:
I'm glad you did go to your proms but am a little bit saddened that the best your date could do for you was Mickey D's...

And Kathy, I was the guy you saw sitting alone at McDonalds. I am always at McDonalds. I am always sitting alone...

Kathy Meeh's Prom Date said...

Can any of your gibberish be proven??