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Keep Your Job During Turbulent Times

How to Avoid Being the Next Employee on the Chopping Block

Jul 25, 2008

Difficult economic times may mean layoffs and may mean the need to take drastic measures. Employees need to learn steps they can take to protect them from job loss.

With a record number of U.S. layoffs – over 400,000 workers in the last six months – and an astounding average national unemployment rate of 5.5 percent, many employees are wondering if they are next.

According to a June 2008 survey from McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, North American employers expect a 26 percent decline in their workforce while 37 percent anticipate no change. With these kinds of figures, there is very little room for new hires to find opportunities. So now is the time to start thinking about what you can do to hold on to the job you’ve got.

It’s Good to Be in the Know

There is some hope for recent graduates. Government, health care and technology fields seem to be growing, even while the mortgage, construction and financial sectors seem to be hardest hit. And CollegeRecruiter.com indicates that 59 percent of employers plan on hiring this year.

While Citigroup Inc. is hiring, its levels are down ten percent from last year. And proof that job offers are not etched in stone, Bear Stearns Co's. recent acquisition by J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. resulted in duplication of jobs. That may mean about half of the 100 job offers to graduating seniors are likely to be rescinded.

What is important to job retention is for employees to stay ahead of the curve and know what’s going on in their industry or field as well as staying informed about their current organization and changes it may be going through. Employees need to be alert and engaged or they may end up out of luck and recycled.

Stand Out…But Just Not Like a Sore Thumb

When heads are rolling all around them or rumors of impending layoffs seem to surface every few minutes, employees shouldn’t hide in their office or cubicle. If they want to be seen as valuable, then they need to prove their worth.

Help the organization and management team through this time of change by staying motivated and doing a good job. That means not only should employees stay on top of their projects, but they should be willing to do more. If it appears that someone doesn’t have enough to do, management may just find they’re expendable. Employees need to remember to:

Cultivate a positive attitude; after all, who wants to work around someone who is unpleasant?
Further fine tune their relationship-building skills and make sure everyone who is anyone knows how important they are to the success of the organization (without being annoying). Being visible and likable makes it more difficult to let someone go.
Remain flexible and open to the change. Sometimes layoffs result in new, merged positions or alternative opportunities in other departments or divisions. Employees should keep their eyes and ears open, be willing to learn something new or even relocate if necessary.

Take Nothing for Granted

In work, as in life, there are no guarantees. It just may be that even though someone keeps her job, it has changed sufficiently that it is no longer suitable. Always keep in mind an escape route in case the position, department or salary offered doesn’t ultimately meet with personal career goals.

That means employees need to have an updated resume always available and keep tabs on what is happening in their field or industry, which goes back to the original suggestion of staying in the know. That way employees will know how to protect themselves from being next on the chopping block.

The copyright of the article Keep Your Job During Turbulent Times in Career Advice is owned by Deborah S. Hildebrand. Permission to republish Keep Your Job During Turbulent Times in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.