FMP - What does it really mean?

FMP - another of those workplace acronyms. One that over the years has become all too common place, IMHO. In this case, it is Forced Management Program. Now that clears it up for you, doesn't it. Sounds like there are managers that don't want to manage, right? Yeah, not so much.

You probably know this by many other names: Personnel Reduction, Lay Off, Down Sizing, Right Sizing, etc.
In a twisted sort of way, it is forced management. I'm given oh about 30 minutes to review the past effectiveness, future potential, impact on current and future projects of a staff of roughly 70 people. In that time, I'm charged with determining who's lives I'm going to turn upside down. No second guessing, no sleeping on it, just decide. "And no. You can't discuss this with any of your managers for current assessments." Guess that's why I get the "BIG" bucks.

If you can't tell, I have a major problem with this. True there are departments that don't pull their own weight based on revenue and expenses. My team, since our acquisition 7 years ago, has continued to have stable or moderate growth in revenues; continued to have very good margins for software sales, continued to produce new products and updates to old products, and continued to "balance" the books for a lot of legacy software products with 1 or 2 customers. But I'm not at all bitter they also decided to cut my staff.

So for the next couple weeks, I am forced to manage my staff as if nothing is going to change. I will be forced to not react as my managers tell me we are short staff on committed deliveries. I will be forced to face those targeted in the next round of FMP's and act as if nothing is wrong. All this, wondering "Hmm, am I on my manager's list?"

The last I'm not so worried about. In some ways, it would give me some peace of mind. Part of me says "It's not your fault, don't worry about it." That's not the part that keeps me up at night and will probably do so for the next couple weeks ...
until I am forced to finally face those targeted by the latest round of FMP's.