I met Steve Schneider and Davey Rodriguez while doing a video on them about how HP handles transitioning employees to us during and after an engagement with a client.
I knew something was up with their passion when, after every call with them, I felt a little happier and more philosophical about my own job.
Something was infectious about their outlook. About the way they viewed their jobs – despite the often topsy-turvy world they work in of HR transitions. Davey was an HP manager overseeing the process of transition with his teams. Steve was an HP individual performer. They were both optimistic and motivational about going through the transition process. I had to find out why.
Q: I bet the #1 fear people in the cubicle environment have these days is holding on to their jobs. You both went through this in a heightened way during periods of transitions. You were transitioned to HP from large financial services companies. What would you tell employees who are in an IT function who are about to transition?
Steve: The #1 thing I’d say is “Keep an open mind” and “Don’t panic.” It is a time when people become stressed and emotional. You just have to take one baby step at a time. I went through this two years ago but I still remember the emotions. You’re thinking, “What’s going to become of my job?” You can’t let it overwhelm you. You can’t become absorbed in it. I know a lot of people that did. That flew into a panic. Some people made the adjustment and some moved onto other companies.
Steve Schneider
Davey: The one piece of advice if someone asked me is “Keep your eyes open.” We do a real good job of transitioning employees and trying to make life easier. So it’s an approach that leaves them with “Don’t worry about it.” And, as Steve’s stated and he has proved, look at all the opportunities you have in front of you with this transition. Don’t wait for the opportunities. Go seek them. Go outand make them -- because there are going to be a lot of them now.
At HP we’re a technology company, so we take care of technologies. The one thing I tell employees during transition is that we identify talent. We take care of talent. And, the cream rises to the top. You can sit down and do nothing or you can take advantage of it and thrive.
Davey Rodriguez
Q: Steve, you took advantage of this time. What would you say were the highlights of being one of these transitioned employees?
Steve: I would say HP really promoted career advancement opportunities in the technology arena. I knew the technology field. The networking field. I enjoyed. I knew it well. I had hoped for a career that blended the two. And though at times I had fear, I found a position at HP where I could combine both passions. And, they kept the lines of communication open with me constantly.
Davey: Yes, and the environment in which Steve navigated and his experience was very unique. The way we do it at HP is different from our competitors. It’s not a “my way or the highway” approach. Coming from a large financial institution that bought financial companies, I really saw this as a positive experience. Rather than, in my past, when I was in a merger of one financial institution to another. Then, the CIO basically announced “The train’s leaving. Get on board. Or get left behind.” We don’t do that. The blueprint we use allows flexibility. Every organization, every transition we do. There is uniqueness in what we do. We take pride in allowing the individuals to listen. Every company is not cookie cutter – where one size fits all. We incorporate our processes. We incorporate the existing talent. The transitioned employees are our biggest assets. Yes, we make wonderful printers, PCs and have strong services. But our true assets are our employees. Transitioned employees are key to that.
Steve: Yes, that’s true. And, I found it’s not like HP said you’re going to forget everything you learned in last 15 years and you’re going to do it our way. HP didn’t do that. They used my knowledge experience and let me contribute that in a new role.
Q: What got you both started in the field of technology services that led you through the transition and more?
Steve: I worked for a company that decided to implement a computer system. That sparked my interest and soon after I decided to go to school for computer programming. The next couple of jobs after this, I did something with computers – sales and then work on a help desk. Then, I started getting more involved in the technology aspect – engineering and designing networks.
Davey: I tried my darndest to be a baseball player.
Steve: Me, too.
Davey: I wanted to be involved in a team environment. When I was a kid, I wanted to be either a baseball player, astronaut or president. You might think, ”Wow, those are weird and opportunistic.” But if you think about what I do now -- the baseball dream led me to a team environment; the president dream led me to an environment where I can be a leader and talk and work through issues; the astronaut dream led me to working with technology.
Steve: And technology is changing so fast. That’s what makes our jobs exciting -- the excitement now is seeing the technologies we transition in.
Q: What else keeps you going in a field that can be seen as turbulent?
Steve: I think it’s the changes actually that keep me going. It’s a type of industry that never goes stale. It’s always going to be challenges, new opportunities, with this changing technology. Whoever thought 30 years ago your voice would be carried over the internet? The possibilities are mind boggling. It keeps me going.
Q: Now thinking about your video story and how you both talked about how you met each other and the story of your transition, what are your thoughts about the entire transition experience now that you have some distance from it?
Davey: The video let us show the opportunities and passion among the employees as we go through a transition. Steve and I talked about how it was to work through this together. The whole time when many employees are probably thinking “Am I going to get fired?” we do a great job of keeping the communications going and guiding them through. That each transitioned employee truly matters. We have to show that, when the excitement wears off, when the adrenalin stops running, the talent takes over.
So, when it’s back to “business as usual” so to speak, at HP we still have that excitement going. And, that even after the transition, we care about our transitioned employees. I don’t’ care if it’s 1, 2 or 10 years after transition, I want my transitioned employees to call me. If we’re doing something or you have an idea, let me know. Right before you called me I had a call with someone I transitioned 4 years ago and they said “Hey, Davey, what’s going on?” We have to keep the relationship going. We really work hard to do that at HP.
See the story of Davey and Steve's transition to HP.
