Thread regarding SAS Institute layoffs

I often spent more time on internal BS (meetings, planning, PowerPoint presentations, etc.) than doing outbound items. It was maddening. Managers that could do the job or were a favorite were promoted, and had no business managing people. Ineptitude at its finest. The favoritism is crazy in marketing.

When you see "global" ,you know it will be a time waste.

@2cgd+1v0e56ih

In one particular department, whenever someone would go to a conference they would show "vacation pictures" of the local conference area, with scant content about what they gleaned from the sessions. They'd hold these photo presentations during the department meeting, with 50+ people in attendance.

One year, a pair of married managers went to the same conference. All of the photos contained the other manager as the subject. The presentation was light on conference material, and heavy on photos of the other manager attending the conference and enjoying time out of the office.

The whole thing was like WTF?!? We all have better things to do than waste our time viewing a travelogue of an implied affair. If you are going to waste our time with that sh-t, at least leave the dirty pictures in.

All the people involved in these wasteful, off-task behaviors have since moved up, and now hold senior roles. Go figure. Perhaps you can laugh to yourself about these shenanigans in your next wasteful meeting.

Haha I used to be on that call about the trends, isn't there like 50 or 60 people on it? Do that math. No wonder Goodnight hates marketing.

So sick of all the meetings. It's too much, it takes over so much of every day. There should be a limit on how many hours of every day can be eaten up by meetings.

This sounds like a situation where all the people at the top of the marketing food pyramid should be promoted and paid even more. Being a full time meeting scheduler and attender while having no actual work to do ever is just so hard. That principal or senior director title makes it better. Never mind that noone can get promoted to principal anymore, there's always exceptions for the right people.

Here's a great idea!

We should totally have a call like every 2 weeks when there's 30 to 50 people on the line and we talk about trends that have nothing to do with SAS or software. Ya know, stuff like climate change and take your dog to work day.

I can't think of a better way to spend an hour especially when I have stuff to do. Maybe we could add some silences so we will all know what the social media team isn't doing haha. Then cap it off with a list of boring ar-e updates from the sad souls who have to create the marketing papers and reports.

What? There's already a meeting like that? My bad lolz. Y'all have the best ideas.

Seventy-seven people in a meeting. Think about the loaded salary cost of that meeting. That's one expensive Kabuki show. Does the value obtained from these meetings offset costs? Of course not.

The people who hold these meetings never think about the costs, nor the value. It's about looking important. They put on these shows for their own vanity. They spend daddy's money like water, drawing from his bottomless money well.

For those invited to those meetings, just go with it. Realize you are a captive audience in someone's special Kabuki play. They pay you to be an attention object. Yay them.

Meetings like these are what spread the BS around. Without them, it would all be sitting in one big pile.

“Customers don't want the current products and nothing new is being built anymore”

A damning statement. Is it true?

If attending on phone, just do something else while the meeting organizer endlessly pontificates.

If attending live, make notes about something else.

The something else can be your work, grocery shopping list, answering texts, whatever.
If sleepy, text someone else in the meeting who is aligned with you. Bottom line:...appear engaged.

I did that for several years and no one ever noticed. The key is to be active(so you don't go to sleep) and appear to be engaged. Ask a few questions periodically so you don't get asked questions. If you asked a question, that is the risky part of being busted. Reply with some BS such as "I am struggling with a migraine today and would appreciate you repeating your question".

Most meetings that involve more that half a dozen people are a huge wast of time. The larger the attendance the more wasteful but also the easier for you to successfully deploy the aforementioned strategy.

Meetings like the OP described will su-k the life out of you. That is why you need a plan. Have fun if you use my plan!!!

PS, it still works!!!

@dfd+1v0e56ih Try it. You might be surprised.

I no show d-mb meetings all the time. When asked about it I explain that I have nothing to offer and nothing to gain from said meetings and can do useful things instead.

Always well received.

People like meetings at SAS because they are bored and have nothing else to do.

Customers don't want the current products and nothing new is being built anymore so everyone resorts to naval gazing to fill in their day, and make it look like they're busy.

can haz katoff? Meow!

I know for some in marketing, attending meetings “is” their job. The fat in our org and the “hanger on-ers” who don’t contribute is obvious and ridiculous.

@ahv+1v0e56ih

katoffs do sound kinder and gentler

You say just don't go like we have a choice. There's no choice. If you don't show your face you aren't a team player.

Stop going to the bs meetings…. If there are that many people then they won’t miss you.

I’m serious. Just don’t attend and do something useful instead.

𝕾𝖙𝖔𝖕 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕸𝖆𝖗𝖐𝖊𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕯𝖎𝖛𝖎𝖘𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝕾𝕬𝕾 𝖜𝖔𝖓'𝖙 𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖔 𝖑𝖆𝖞 𝖔𝖋𝖋 𝖆𝖘 𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖞 𝖕𝖊𝖔𝖕𝖑𝖊

Also in marketing and I agree. The number of meetings where 20-30 or more people are on the phone and none of the discussion is specific or tactical ... it needs to stop. Everyone is complaining and I count myself in that.

Accept that the place is crazy. Its not you, its them.

Just go with it, without complaint, as you are powerless to change anything in this dynamic. Do this for your own good while you work out other plans.

haha obviously that was supposed to be layoffs not katoffs 💀