I was in IT, and left of my own choice prior to the bloodbath, which was pretty well telegraphed. An "overhead" job at AECOM is something you might take for a paycheck, but that's about it. It's astonishing how poorly we were treated (I see this more clearly in hindsight). Not in an abusive way, but as if we were some kind of nuisance that would be done away with soon enough, which, to no one's surprise, turned out to be the case. I actually witnessed what I can only describe as cases of "Stockholm Syndrome" more than once.
The former CIO never really attempted to build a coherent IT organization from the staffs of the various acquisitions, so it's no surprise that his successor just threw it all out and outsourced it. I can't really blame him. The part I really had a problem with was the senior staff he brought in, who were arrogant and condescending (in spades), and treated us like all the dysfunction was our fault. Bullying vendors is probably more up their alley than actually leading people, so outsourcing was a more natural fit for their particular core competencies.
So far I have made out okay, but a lot of people didn't. I know that's just the way it goes, but the complete lack of leadership that led up to the grand finale was just pathetic. In a lot of ways working at AECOM is like being the Roman Emperor, it's just a matter of time until someone comes along and sticks that knife in your back.
