I’m noticing a lot of the new hires at the labs are washouts from industry. A friend of mine washed out of Silicon Valley and got a cushy job at one of the labs. He even got several of his former coworkers and his C-student wife jobs. Is this a trend because of the rapid expansion of the lab workforce?
17 comments:
There are a few new hires that are good but a rather fraction seem to be very mediocre. I simply do not understand the rational for the mass hiring without quality control.
The labs have become a dumping ground for Bechtel, Battelle, and UC washouts along with a wide variety of military wannabe scientists. “C-students” doesn’t begin to describe the low bar that has been set; “Breathing” is a more apt description. While such people are rarely productive and almost never creative, they ARE very compliant. Isn’t that what it’s all about these days?
"I simply do not understand the rational for the mass hiring without quality control."
If the contract requires the contractor to "replace essential employees", without adequate qualification and granularity, the labs can hire as they please, and receive they annual award fees without reductions.
3/12/2021 1:58 PM
“C-students” doesn’t begin to describe the low bar that has been set; “Breathing” is a more apt description.
I keep seeing announcements for new employees where the new people are come from increasing bizarre schools, with stuff a like masters in engineering from Utah State, a Ph.D from U of Tulsa, or a Ph.D from Northern Arizona, ect. It it getting a bit obvious that something is off.
Let’s face it, the management class of Oppenheimer, Bethe, Teller, and Agnew has been replaced with Nanos, McMillan, Anastasio, Mason et al. If you expect second class management to hire first class subordinates, you will certainly be disappointed. Nothing is, “off”. Things are exactly as expected.
Let's examine the probable source of the problem - the education system and the American society.
The cost of the education has skyrocketed and a return on investment invites one to look at a couple of possibilities. What will a Phd in physics cost you versus how much will you make? Get the Masters in economics and make a run on Wall Street. Second, has the K-12 system given you the tools to even begin a career in Engineering or Physics - getting in touch with your inner feelings and developing guilt based on your skin color or your binary sex won't help you through equation of state calculations.
As a society, America has gone soft. While some will disparage the foreigners we see in the medical and engineering fields I say they are willing to put in the sweat and labor to succeed. Perhaps we need to go through severe times to re-forge that American spirit. A sort of tough love.
3/12/2021 7:12 PM
The thing that I do not understand is the increasing sense of resentment for founders of the lab by the younger staff. I keep hearing from young people about how they consider them to be examples of America's toxic past or arrogant jerks. I don't know if they in with that attitude or if it is part of initial training. I find it odd that they would not be proud of the labs past. My guess is that this might be due to the training they get right when the come in saying how the old guys where "cowboys" and brash men who pushed back against authority, or where"men of their time". But that was the "old labs" of the past. We are now sleek shining lab with compliance and rules where managers and workers respect each other and know their roles ect, engaging with a diverse community, helping local economies.
The labs have always done that. But for the young, there are no virtues in the past. They invented virtue.
They'll hire many and fire whom they don't like with excuses -spoiling youngsters lives and lab reputation (if any left)..
3/15/2021 7:33 AM
They'll hire many promising applicants and not offer continuance beyond the postdoc to some, because they fail to contribute or to show promise as permanent staff. It has always been that way.
Maybe if they implemented a Six Sigma Program, that may help. Hahahahhaha!!!
3/16/2021 5:26 PM
Most of the new hires did not come in as postdocs.
Same answer. Conditional employment, no renewal.
Same answer. Conditional employment, no renewal.
3/19/2021 5:23 PM
They are all renewed...all of them.
3/20/2021 1:46 PM
You have HR statistics to prove that?
You have HR statistics to prove that?
3/20/2021 4:59 PM
Do you have the HR statistics to prove that it is false?
Do you have the HR statistics to prove that it is false?
3/20/2021 8:34 PM
Since when does anyone have to prove anything is false. Are you Russian?
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