Say you worked at a firm for 15-20 years. A small (under 20) well establish firm in a rural / small city area. Everyone you work with has also worked at the firm for similar amount of time, except for 2 newer draft persons. What if you were the second last person to be informed of the firms take over by a national firm, two years after negotiations with the partners started and only 2 months before the deal is to be done. Second last of all the long standing employees. How would you interpret that? Should note that you have your own client list and one client is an international company that kept your company going during and after covid.
Have you been full time at the firm for the 15-20 years?
Nov 19, 24 3:27 pm ·
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small.time.architect
No, No, I am a project manager. I take projects from the proposal writing stage through to occupancy. I am co-head of a department. The person I am co-head with has known for a year it seems. And yes full time for the full 15-20 years.
That is incredibly lame. They may have seen it as you're too valuable an employee to risk you leaving before they want you to. I doubt it's because they think little of you. They should have announced it to the whole company at once, or in two phases--management and then regular employees.
small time, are you able to surmise why the national firm bought your employer? Do they want the geographic location, the client base, some of the senior people, or some combo of these? What I am getting at is: will your current bosses be sticking around after the deal? To what extent will the new owners change the direction of your office? It could go a lot of different ways, and be good or bad for you personally. If the buyers have done this before, learn about what happened at the purchased firms.
It would be a good move on your part to begin a discreet investigation of other opportunities that may be available to you. A realistic understanding of your options is good to have in your head while this transition happens.
I can't comment on the order that they told you and other people, but you should know that absolute secrecy is standard procedure for these kinds of transactions.
It does sound the like firms owner didn't want the OP to learn about this and have him / her leave before the buyout occurred. That to me in concerning
.
My problem is that the OP's supposedly equal "co-department head" was privy to the sale a year ago and they weren't. It's obvious OP was not as high in the pecking order as they thought or maybe even led to believe they were.
OP didn't state whether their co department head had equity interest. That would be the only reason I can think of for informing one and not the other.
Cant leave immediately as I am entitled to severance if I don't sign the new contact offered by the new firm
Nov 19, 24 5:37 pm ·
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atelier nobody
Consult an attorney before taking clients with you when you go. (Of course, if you just notify them you're leaving and they casually ask where you're going, then at a later date they approach your new firm...)
Time to either join forces or break out on your own. There's no middle ground.
Nov 20, 24 4:23 am ·
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reallynotmyname
I would venture to say that the odds are about 50-50 that the selling partners will still be at the firm 3-5 years post-buyout. OP will probably be managed by someone different if they stay long-term.
Nov 20, 24 12:19 pm ·
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smaarch
Not always. The selling firm is usually interested in protecting the principals. The buying firm's interest is putting them out of business. How do you get projects? Simple get rid of the competition. Been there, done it and own the tee shirt.
Nov 20, 24 9:32 pm ·
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Take Over
Say you worked at a firm for 15-20 years. A small (under 20) well establish firm in a rural / small city area. Everyone you work with has also worked at the firm for similar amount of time, except for 2 newer draft persons. What if you were the second last person to be informed of the firms take over by a national firm, two years after negotiations with the partners started and only 2 months before the deal is to be done. Second last of all the long standing employees. How would you interpret that? Should note that you have your own client list and one client is an international company that kept your company going during and after covid.
Are you a partner in the firm?
Do you own stock in the firm?
What is your role in the firm?
Have you been full time at the firm for the 15-20 years?
No, No, I am a project manager. I take projects from the proposal writing stage through to occupancy. I am co-head of a department. The person I am co-head with has known for a year it seems. And yes full time for the full 15-20 years.
Now you know that the partnership considers you the lesser of the co-heads in the department.
One more question - how long have the other team member known? More importantly, how long ago did the third to last person learn of the merger?
OddA - I don't know unfortunately. I think the rest has all known for over a year and only a couple of us are just finding out this week.
Are you in the US? Do you own stock in the firm?
Sounds like you are are hired for your labor.
Sorry to hear it, though. I can't imagine how the purchase will benefit the projects, the users, the community, or the workers.
This is how I am feeling
That is incredibly lame. They may have seen it as you're too valuable an employee to risk you leaving before they want you to. I doubt it's because they think little of you. They should have announced it to the whole company at once, or in two phases--management and then regular employees.
small time, are you able to surmise why the national firm bought your employer? Do they want the geographic location, the client base, some of the senior people, or some combo of these? What I am getting at is: will your current bosses be sticking around after the deal? To what extent will the new owners change the direction of your office? It could go a lot of different ways, and be good or bad for you personally. If the buyers have done this before, learn about what happened at the purchased firms.
It would be a good move on your part to begin a discreet investigation of other opportunities that may be available to you. A realistic understanding of your options is good to have in your head while this transition happens.
I can't comment on the order that they told you and other people, but you should know that absolute secrecy is standard procedure for these kinds of transactions.
It does sound the like firms owner didn't want the OP to learn about this and have him / her leave before the buyout occurred. That to me in concerning .
My problem is that the OP's supposedly equal "co-department head" was privy to the sale a year ago and they weren't. It's obvious OP was not as high in the pecking order as they thought or maybe even led to believe they were.
That's what concerns me.
OP didn't state whether their co department head had equity interest. That would be the only reason I can think of for informing one and not the other.
That's what I was thinking as well. There is a lot the OP isn't telling us or doesn't know about. No fault to the OP. It's a tough situation to be in.
Regardless - the OP's firm doesn't seem like a very nice place to work if this how they treat team members.
Take you clients and leave immediately.
Treat your employer the way they treat you - go out on your own.
Cant leave immediately as I am entitled to severance if I don't sign the new contact offered by the new firm
Consult an attorney before taking clients with you when you go. (Of course, if you just notify them you're leaving and they casually ask where you're going, then at a later date they approach your new firm...)
I'm wondering if the national firm is NELSON, they have a habit of doing this.
Time to either join forces or break out on your own. There's no middle ground.
I would venture to say that the odds are about 50-50 that the selling partners will still be at the firm 3-5 years post-buyout. OP will probably be managed by someone different if they stay long-term.
Not always. The selling firm is usually interested in protecting the principals. The buying firm's interest is putting them out of business. How do you get projects? Simple get rid of the competition. Been there, done it and own the tee shirt.
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