Hayes out G.G in?

That’s a little different. The oilfield has gone through ALOT of that in recent years (since the recession). Except in our industry they call it “being made redundant”.

The primary driving force is money. Price of oil goes down, dayrates drop, rigs get stacked (means parked in a storage area and not working). So jobs start being made redundant to cut costs.

Technically (in many countries) it is illegal to make a person redundant, you can only make a position redundant.

I just recently went through this. A guy named Mike was next in line for a promotion based on seniority. But I wanted to put a guy named Joey in the position. He is younger (not a factor in general, but it is applicable in this situation because Mike is 60yrs old and slow at everything), Joey is also more motivated or “hungry”, and has a lot of potential...where Mike is basically maxed out.

BUT, legally I couldn’t put Joey in the position because Mike hasn’t given any (documentable) reasons to not be given the promotion. His appraisals have been good and he does the job.

So according to the “position, not person” law...if I wanted to eliminate the engineer position altogether, that would be perfectly fine. I could lay them both off. But I can’t make Mike redundant and then put Joey in the position. My company would end up in court.

Anyway, I’m off on a tangent.

Removing a position due to budget constraints is a completely different than firing someone only to replace him for someone younger. And if you had legit proof that was the case, you’d have a wrongful termination suit.

 

No fucking way!!!!

 

The idea is they can then hire someone younger and cheaper. I would bet GG will not be making what JH was making. And no they have been doing this for a lot of years and their lawyers have made it foolproof, plus to get your severance (6 months worth in my case) you basically sign away threats of lawsuits

 

That’s why I said “in many countries”. By default the US is an “at will” nation in terms of employment. It is possible to get a wrongful termination suit, but you’d need a damn good lawyer, and have some damn good evidence of discrimination.

Most of the guys that work for me are on an International (Guernsey) contract. If you eliminate somebody, you’d better have your ducks in a row. There better be previous disciplinary actions on file, with the person given an opportunity to go on a “Personal Development Program” at some point, etc.

The whole “I like that guy better” or “he will cost us less” or “he is younger” shit won’t fly.

 

In my ex-company’s case they also get rid of just enough younger folks as well so there are or can’t be any claims of bias. One of my peers at the time fell into that scenario. Fortunately he found another position within the company. I elected to retire since I was eligible and they were offering pension enhancements. I am on my 3rd and final year as a contractor back to this company. I will retire permanently next November.

 

So do you think it was a bad business decision? Should the business wait till it's blaringly obvious that it's time to begin schooling a new rider? I like Josh too and have met and talked to him and he is a super cool, nice, talented guy but, this is a business. I think it's a bit of a stretch to say Yamaha is making a poor decision. There comes a time for things.

 

Truth. An At Will state can fire you if they don't like your clothes or your eye color, etc. and without spending thousands on a lawyer there pretty much isn't jack shit you can do about it. I have been through this many times with bank mergers and the best thing you can do is pull up your big boy pants and move on.

If you are in that situation, do you really want to stay at the company that wants to get rid of you in the first place? It all boils down to financials and the person with the most seniority and the most benefits is always the first person to go. Been there done that too many times and I just choose to get on with my life and be happy.

 

It’s a business and they are looking after their future, I hate it for Josh but he’s also not an idiot and knew this day would come. I’m hoping he does some overseas (and domestic for that matter) endurance racing, I’m sure he will still be active. Yamaha is also being smart here, injuries do happen.

 

You don’t even want to know what it cost me to get rid of someone in Germany who was a documented far under performer. It’s absolutely insane over there, they go too far the other way.

 

That’s the ticket right there if you are in the right place at the right time.

 

The shitty part is you can be the best performer and do a kick ass job, and dedicate years of your life to the betterment of the company, but when they sort the spreadsheet and your name comes up on top, you are the first to go.

I am so looking forward to retirement when all I have to do is sit in the nursing home and ask Mabel if she wants to go to the dance with me tonight.

 

Gerloff started in wera now he's on a top superbike f'ing awesome!! Go wera go

 

Too many variables...Josh is/was under contract...so what did his contract say? If they are still paying him, just not to ride this could also be a possibility....Hate to see an end to Josh's racing career as he is a stand up guy, a fan favorite and still fast.

 

In Brazil we have 30 days to decide if someone is worth a shit or not. If we don’t unass them in 30 days, they are then guaranteed full salary for 2 years...after they do get fired.

Then in places like Malaysia and Indonesia, if the Contract ends they get nothing. They are just out of work. But if they get fired, they get paid for a full year.

The last couple of months before a contract ends we have to watch out for people starting fights, chasing people with pipe wrenches, throwing shit in the cafeteria, destroying property, etc...because the reason for them being fired is irrelevant, they still get paid.

 

That was one of the coolest parts of racing with WERA. Hanging out with Josh Hayes in the pits after the race day was done.

 

I fully understand I’m expendable but still work my ass off as they pay me well. I’ve survived 6 or 7 layoffs and it’s never fun but if I got let go tomorrow with nothing I’ll be ok even at 42. My position I have a contract but it’s in 3 year stints.

 

Oh I will be OK and I am always fine. Like I said I've done this dance many times. You just need to keep your head on a swivel as you never know when the target is on your back and the arrow is going to hit.

 

They'd let him holeshot to avoid a poo smear on the way by!

 

I always thought JH was under-rated. I remember he did a wild card race in WSS right before signing with Yamaha and Kenan Sufoglu was so iritated with him and was tryin to push/pull at his arm and telling him to get out of the way. After the rave Kenan apologized on camera when he found out who JH was. Too funny. Josh on some no-name bike scrapping with the front runners in WSS was fun to watch.. I will always be a fan of JH. With that said, I did feel like watching the racing this year that this might have been JH goodbye season. Im not surprised by this. Its tough for us fans but I think it was time. Im glad they arent kicking him to the curb and letting him transition to a new role with dignity.

Now, what about the "other" Josh? Mr Herrin. He is left high-n-dry. Wonder what he is going to do. Go back and dominate the SS class on a Graves bike?