The Gervais principle illuminates a lot of what happens in large organizations. If you ever feel like what you do matters less than how you're perceived, then you're absolutely correct [1].
So far as when to leave, I try to keep track of the health of the division (in a Big Dumb Corp) or company (smaller companies). If the business area I'm in is no longer a focus for the company (opex vs capex) or not meeting targets (whatever they maybe; sales goals, customer retention, etc) then that's a strong signal to start looking.
A few other warning signs: churn in leadership, senior people leaving. When you see the organizational knowledge base packing up and leaving that's a bad sign.
Currently, I've chosen to work in a Dilbert wonderland. This Big Dumb Corp is so dumb it's astounding. I'm here and staying (for now) because the division I'm in is a growth area, my manager is cool, I have one semi interesting long term project to work on, and since they are so big and dumb, they're paying 10-15% above market rate on salary and benefits.
So far as when to leave, I try to keep track of the health of the division (in a Big Dumb Corp) or company (smaller companies). If the business area I'm in is no longer a focus for the company (opex vs capex) or not meeting targets (whatever they maybe; sales goals, customer retention, etc) then that's a strong signal to start looking.
A few other warning signs: churn in leadership, senior people leaving. When you see the organizational knowledge base packing up and leaving that's a bad sign.
Currently, I've chosen to work in a Dilbert wonderland. This Big Dumb Corp is so dumb it's astounding. I'm here and staying (for now) because the division I'm in is a growth area, my manager is cool, I have one semi interesting long term project to work on, and since they are so big and dumb, they're paying 10-15% above market rate on salary and benefits.
[1] https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-...