Employees Vs. Consultants
Approximately two years ago, a consulting company was hired by our management team to evaluate the tools that we use on a day-to-day basis to monitor the network. At first the consultants went about their day gathering information concerning the tools and the day-to-day operation thereof. The consultants prepared a report that was prepared that that should have dealt with how we can better manage our tools and integrate many of the overlaps associated with multiple tools. However, this was not the case. Instead the consultants created a report that dealt less with the tools and more with the group and how they thought individuals performed. Management assured us that the report was not a reflection of the individuals, but a reflection of where the group is in relation to their respective jobs. Although the reassurance was made, management acted on the report as if credibility of the writer was without question.
The head of the consultant company was friends with the director of the group. The consultant company was also a startup and needed a client in which to build their resume. This is where the problems began. From the standpoint of the employees, we felt that the consultant company wrote the report downplaying the knowledge and skills of the employees to get a foothold in the company under the pretense that they will fill in the gaps where the employees fell short. The next course of events gave further proof that management has indeed acted on the guidelines of the report. We, the employees, found out that the head of the consultant company used to work for one of our major software vendor. He had the inside track on when the company was going to make upgrades t ...