Oh man am I feeling this right now. My CEO has decided that managers with fewer than 5 staff are faking it and will no longer be managers going forward. This has led to a mad dash by directors around the company to make sure they all have 5 reports. People have suddenly been put under managers that have nothing to do with their work, just to make the numbers all come out right. And here’s me, a senior manager with 4 reports. My annual review rating was in the top 2% of the company, but I was basically told:

“We already have too many useless Directors already so there’s no growth path for you, sorry. In fact, not only is your promotion cancelled, we’re passing out your staff to others who need the numbers.”

I was literally rewarded for top performance with a demotion. A shift in the marketplace, you say? I think I felt that shift go straight up my ass. But thank god those who got theirs already are being protected! /s