Quote:
Originally Posted by Solicitous
Not sure how it works in the US but in Australia we are required to give a period of notice, usually somewhere between 2-4 weeks.
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Job security in the US is pretty much nonexistent. Robert worked in San Jose--the heart of Silicon Valley--where the unemployment rate is hovering around 10% at the moment. Money is tight, and a lot of companies are cutting back. Astak is now facing some fierce competition; they no longer have prices remotely comparable to the other entry-level devices in the industry.
Many, perhaps most, jobs in tech industries in California are "at-will" employment, meaning either side can end the job at any time, for any reason (barring some forms of discrimination), with no notice. That's why a lot of the US posters are suspicious; many of us have friends and relatives (or themselves) who've gone to work one morning and been told "the company's making a change--clear out your desk and be gone by two o'clock."
OTOH, Robert had mentioned health problems; it is possible that he either retired, or decided to take a long stretch of time away from the job. (On the gripping hand... lots of US employers will lay off workers who are ill, injured or disabled, especially if they're trying to cut back.)
I don't believe this is what happened to Robert. I don't believe it's not, either. I can say that, without a statement either with verifiable facts (hard to provide, that) or by someone I trust, I never believe any company's public statement about why someone is no longer working there.
In this case, I can get as far as "Robert is no longer working at Astak; Jenifer will be doing his PR job." Reasons are in total limbo.
A *good* PR move would be to ask Robert to make a final goodbye post-- "I'm fine; parting with Astak was on amicable terms that I don't want to discuss; the new crew loves the Astak readers and our customers as much as I did so I hope you all enjoy their presence at MR." But that may not be possible, and not all the reasons are sinister.
An *awful* PR move would be to replace Robert with someone who speaks in careful corporate-vetted language, and never seems to be personally interested, and dodges any specific questions that might cast aspersions on the company, its products, or its staff.
From Robert, we got the impression that *he wanted us happy with Astak ebook readers.* We liked that. He seemed honestly interested in everyone's opinions, and willing to pester the rest of the team to find out whether the company could accommodate people's preferences.
Replacing that with someone who wants to sell ebook readers & avoid a bad reputation (which may or may not be what's happened) would be awful. Might as well not have a rep, as have one whose only purpose on the forums is announcements & damage control. (I am *not* saying that's what's going on.)
Astak *cannot* compete with Amazon and Barnes & Noble on price or wireless access. They can't get the price breaks from ordering devices by the half-million. Their only options are to compete on features, reliability or customer service. If the customer service isn't going to be as enthusiastic and friendly as Robert's, it will need to be perfect in accountability and responsiveness instead.