Friend's job being offshored to India and he must train the guys b4 his layoff

[AudiDude]

I thought engineers have to take an ethic class, if you need the textbook please let me know, I can dig it up.

To OP:
Either do it right or don't bother do it at all, if you don't want to train your replacement, just quit or tell your boss that. Don't do douche things like what Mark77/Pitz has suggested, that shows character or lack there of.

I think that Mark77 explained himself better when he defined "the secret sauce". At every company I have worked at they tried to dictate every last step to people in my position. They clearly had no real concept on how things worked and you had to modify or completely discard procedures to get things done. When you did management was under the illusion that their procedures were responsible for the success in that department. If you went to management and outlined what you were doing to get the job done, they would get angry that you circumvented their (prohibitive) rules and place procedures to block you from doing things the ways that you were, even though you had proven your methods were successful. This all boils down to the fact that they want control and they want to brag about how their procedures work and are responsible for any success in the department.

How is training the new employee to the standards that your department has set and not to how you get the job done, wrong? If the company thinks so little of you to get rid of you and they believe the other people can do your job, why not give them the same tools and education you were given at the start? If they are smart enough, they will prosper and management will get their way. If not, it looks like they have proven you were a valuable asset and they should not have let you go. Apparently that happened at the company I worked at five years before I arrived and they had to let all the contractors go and rehire staff. They did not know how good they had it and I guess the "bean counters" had no clue either.

When you get hired at my job, there is never any mention of you having to train anybody, most certainly not your replacement. I did tell management that I was not going to train anybody, but if I did train someone by the book, that is not my problem if they are not smart enough to read between the lines. People like me buy my own tools or fabricate them by hand. The company provides tools that do not work without modification.

I don't think it is unreasonable to expect the new person to fly or die if you decide to train them by the book.

[Truemana]

And I suppose you'd supply your executioner with the ammunition? You'd sell your hangman the rope? I agree with the others, best to move on as quickly as possible, but if not possible, its best not to make your job look trivial by embodying a full body of knowledge to the new recruits within weeks.

So now you're trying to justify your ethical double standards? Or does the higher professionalism only apply when it benefits you?

[Abel4Life]

Again OUTSOURCED does not necessarily mean India. Offshoring and Outsourcing are not the same.

Its no different if your company decides to outsource a function or department and contract them to IBM, CGI, Accenture, Ceridian, ADP etc. It is VERY common. Look at the SAP market in Canada. Many of these big companies are doing the opposite (they have the knowledge not the client) and milking the hell out of the clients by not transferring knowledge so they can keep their contract and 'expertise' going.

[dealstime]

As much as I love jobs in India this sucks. I hope he gets a better job soon.

Having said just train them with what is needed. Do not give any secrets. I did that mistake in my current work and now I am treated like crap. Never ever let them believe they can replace you with someone else. Never ever be too kind and transfer your knowledge fully. If a company fires you they must regret it for atleast a year.

[Mark77]

So now you're trying to justify your ethical double standards? Or does the higher professionalism only apply when it benefits you?

Double standard, hardly. For example, you apparently work as a consulting EE, right? If your job was offshored to India, and most of your work involves using a computer program to calculate loads and fault currents applicable to a given circuit (just as an example -- I know a few EE's that basically that's their entire job) -- would you simply teach the computer program, or would you ensure that the replacements understand the full range of E-M theory behind using the computer program?

I personally don't think you'd be professional if you only taught a very narrow high level concept (ie: using a computer program). I am sure that you are probably aware of plenty of instances where even the output of computer programs need to be carefully validated and/or 'checked' for logical 'sense'.

[jda]

As much as I love jobs in India this sucks. I hope he gets a better job soon.

Having said just train them with what is needed. Do not give any secrets. I did that mistake in my current work and now I am treated like crap. Never ever let them believe they can replace you with someone else. Never ever be too kind and transfer your knowledge fully. If a company fires you they must regret it for atleast a year.

Everyone is replaceable at a cost and if you dont try to learn new things and improve yourself you'll eventually be replaced.

[Starkicker]

Everyone is replaceable at a cost and if you dont try to learn new things and improve yourself you'll eventually be replaced.

+1

Evolve or die.

[bolufromthesoo]

Your friend's ethical obligation is to provide training only so far as to ensure the physical safety of his replacements and/or the end user.

If your friend's job is complex and unique enough, he should make an ultimatum to be contracted as a consultant for a premium rate.

[tylaw83]

And I suppose you'd supply your executioner with the ammunition? You'd sell your hangman the rope? I agree with the others, best to move on as quickly as possible, but if not possible, its best not to make your job look trivial by embodying a full body of knowledge to the new recruits within weeks.

First of all, ability and hardwork help me avoid situations like this.

Second, if it WERE me, I'd tell the employer that training a replacement is not my job responsibility and I will continue to perform my current work responsibilities only. If they want me to train my own replacement when I'm being laid off, I would ask for a consulting fee. Fact is they cannot fire me for refusing to train a replacement as it is not in my job description or a reasonable request based on my position title. If they tried to, I'd sue them into oblivion.