AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT VANGUARD GROUP

Malvern, Pennsylvana-based Vanguard Group, the iconic mutual fund and investment manager, has announced that it will be transferring 1,300 employees to Bangalore, India-based Infosys, a business process and consulting vendor.

Those impacted handle employer's 401(k) retirement plans and are mostly located in Malvern, with some employees located in Arizona and North Carolina.

The employees performing functions in technology support, client administration, operations, and record-keeping will work at the Malvern Infosys office located nearby.

According to a company spokesperson, there should be a "seamless transition" with employees keeping their same pay and benefits for the first year.

According to a published report, "Vanguard has said that using contractors, for example in times of financial stress such as a recession, can enable the company to operate with minimal disruption by reducing workforce without mass firings of its own staff, as happens cyclically at Wall Street banks and other financial employers."

The process is known as re-badging and isolates the employees from their old employer. Many believe it is simply a layoff program with a long-tail. Others cite cases where employees were forced to train replacement H1-B visa foreign workers who earn lower wages. Like all outsourced operations with a contractual basis, it is possible that the functions will be re-bid in the future and the loss of a contract can result in a mass layoff.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?