Fri Sep 10 23:34:09 CDT 2004

Outsourcing hurts the United States.

I was recently (Jan 31, 2004) outsourced by Hallmark.com. The upper managment at Hallmark decided it was a wise move to turn their web development and support over to another company. Insiders in the decision making process reported that they spent more than 30 million dollars to outsource 23 people in a 5 year contract. That's more than $217,000.00 per year.

Recently they did it again. Steve Hawn, a guy with a degree in Economics, decided it was in the company's best interests to send 145 employees packing.

When I worked for Hallmark, I worked hard. I put in a lot of unpaid overtime, and I did it because I believed in the company. I trusted that the Hall family was good for Kansas City. I was wrong.

Outsourcing jobs is stupid. When I did something cool for the Hallmark.com website, I learned a new skill that I could use later. Even if I stopped working for Hallmark (which I didn't plan on), I would still probably work in Kansas City, so the skill would stay in the hometown. Even if I did decide to leave the community, it would be extremely likely that I would stay in the United States, if not the midwestern region. That means that my knowledge and my skills stay close to home.

When someone in India does the same job (which they won't do as well because they are in a different culture, speak a different language and are on the other end of a telephone line), that skill leaves the company, the city, and the nation. I don't begrudge Indian replacement workers. They are doing what they should to improve their lives (at least I hope it's improving their lives), but it's damn foolish for us to do this to our own people, our own cities, our own companies.

Besides, spending 217,000.00 PER PERSON is, in my opinion, beyond stupid. Of course, I was making nowhere near that amount, even counting benefits, office space and everything else imaginable. So Hallmark has been left with an inferior product that cost much more money.

I sure am glad I didn't try to get a degree in Economics. I would have flunked out for sure.

===Bill Underwood===