Interesting thoughts for sure. I worked at CCP in IT for 8 years before I did what I felt was right which was to bring attention to HR exactly what you refer to in your post, middle-aged female managers. One particularly inept, played favorites, called people names, swore at them, etc. The practices and treatment of people is an aberration. If building 2 execs knew what happens daily they wouldn't believe it. Founding values? Forget it, what a joke.

But those middle-aged females are a powerful group. All one has to do is make one of them look bad, even when you are in the right you quickly become the proud owner of a "ICN" a.k.a. an immediate corrective action document that lays out issues that needed to be addressed or face immediate termination. Then you can sit in a room and be pressured to leave in under 24 hours or "get up and leave right now if you want to" having no knowledge about any issues concerning bad performance. Then you get to realize that the only outcome of the "one on one" that day is agreeing to "resign". You get all of that during the 30 minute lecture and a pleasant parting shot after 8 years of dedicated service to this company "and if you think I have been on you already, wait until Monday". Well, that is a threat but again, most people in IT there don't believe execs know what is going on.

Was it all for the good.. Yes! Best thing that could have happened. Enterprise IT's practices will and have come to the attention of those that can bring to bear those that should receive legal action against them, especially those who's cavalier and casual approach to people's careers is shocking. In the mean time just remember, what goes around comes around…and it’s coming.