Many of you know someone who has lost their job, which is not surprising given that more people have lost their jobs this year than during the Great Depression. It is undeniable that this is a year to remember and to be aware of its impact on the economy and the labour market.
So there is everything you can do to keep your career on track and not get fired, but you don’t know how long. When working for a large company, it can be easy to feel powerless against potential dismissal. Fortunately, many of our supply chains have been protected by a combination of good management, good business practices, and good customer service.
In a perfect world, you would be judged solely by your work and the work itself, but rest assured that it is you. There are a few important things you can do to maintain your career and your job.
In order to learn and grow, you are also expected to participate in additional projects and committees. This makes you more visible not only to more people, but also to your efforts. Professional success requires so much more than that, and the more your employees value your input, the more likely your work is to be considered essential when it comes time to lay people off.
Of course, visibility has taken on a whole new meaning this year with the rise of social media and social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and LinkedIn.
Be as engaged as possible, even if you get bored in a meeting, and take the opportunity to connect with your colleagues, whether for a short social chat or video chat. You may not be able to appear in person or have skipped committees in the past, but your work is not a popularity contest and you want to keep your career on track. The more connections you have, the more likely you are to stay in – and the better your chances of success.
Optimism in this environment is at best challenging, at worst impossible, and in some cases even impossible.
If it’s the end of the world and optimism really can help your career, why bother with all that, can’t it?
Research into surviving mass redundancies has shown some surprising results, and in short, optimism at work is a sign that people are more willing to work with you. Business is about finding someone who is more capable and less likable.
When companies consider redundancies, they will take into account how much work each individual person or department does. If you are optimistic and great, you can get the lion’s share and be less likely to be replaced.
In difficult times it is tempting to make your boss the enemy; after all, you often have no say in whether you keep your job or not, and not many of us enjoy firing people. But if you want your career to stay on track during a recession, it’s not wise to complain to your bosses. Managers suffer from recessions like everyone else, so don’t be afraid to spread the bad news, even if it can feel overwhelming and unfair.
Recognizing and showing empathy can help to create an important emotional bond, and this bond in turn will help you realize that you cannot be easily replaced. In an economy like this, it’s certainly a challenge to keep your career on track, but sometimes you just switch into survival mode.
Remember that you are not powerless and are willing to do things to show how valuable you are to your business. Hopefully survive next year, but be aware of what you’ve done in the last few years to show you’re not powerless.
