Layoffs hit our psychological jugular (I just created the term in this context). Emotions run awry. Relationships are transformed. Former professional/work alliances become beleaguered, UNLESS we take strategic measures to overcome these realities.
Speaking from experience in the past of one who has worked in various industries (radio broadcasting, education, sales and marketing and career/employment services).
Presently, the content of the article will be revised, with the hope that you, who may be facing an impending layoff, will share your experiences. (That's why I titled this article with part ONE). In part two, I'd like to provide further strategies and remedies for that devastating life experience, the layoff.
To quote J.T. O'Donnell, owner of http://www.careerealism.com/ North Americans have one unique commonality that separates them from the rest of the Western workforce. In casual and professional situations, North Americans are quick to tie job titles with one's identity. Imagine yourself in a social situation, laid off, and you are asked,"So what do you do Jane?"
Words may behoove you, unless you have crafted a good branding statement or "elevator pitch" as we say in the employment field. (Outstanding resources are on this site to help you with this necessity of job searching).
But let's get to the root of the matter. I will be satisfied if at least ONE person can benefit from the tell tale signs of a layoff. Haunting as the signs may be, they are in no specific order:
1. Workplace behaviour has changed toward you.
This upsetting experience can be defined as simply as management giving you short shrift, criticism, lack of recognition, and decreased responsibilities. Be mindful of when these situations unfold around you. Management is paying attention. Or to harken back to George Orwell:" Big Brother is watching you." (Was it no co-incidence that over 100 of his predictions in the book 1984 came true?) Employers are constantly evaluating our performance. In other words, the battlefield can always be replenished with fresh talent. You want to avoid being one of the hiring casualties.
2. Your performance evaluation ratings have slipped and your supervisor is specific about what you are doing "wrong" rather than what you are doing "right" for the company or organization. While ratings like statistics can be manipulated, pay attention to the language of the performance evaluations, specifically direct quotations. Weigh your last performance evaluation ratings against the previous year (it is astonishing how many clients I have had whose employers did not provide regular performance evaluations!)
3. Your workplace environment has been drastically altered.
Has your office been modified? Has your private office been downscaled to a cubicle or outside location, in contrast to your other co-workers? Did you have to wait for a long period of time to get a private office, especially if you deal with and receive sensitive or confidential information in the course of your work?
4. You have been "singled" out in public or in private by management.
This shameful behaviour is prevalent, unfortunately in 2010. Have your ideas been discredited increasingly during staff meetings? Are you the subject of intense scrutiny "behind closed doors" by management, resulting in more frequent meetings in your boss' office?
5.Is office communication between you and management abnormally slow, infrequent or compromised?
This can take form of communication, under intense scrutiny, such as emails.
6. The company or organization has been performing poorly from an economic standpoint.
Have contracts been lost (consistently), or fewer customers or clients patronizing the establishment? Has management struggled and scrambled to recoup some of the lost revenue, perhaps by prioritizing fundraising initiatives, which may not otherwise be a priority at the company? Has a professional fundraiser been brought into the company in short order?
7. The company or organization is loathe or unable to be transparent about its finances to staff or to its stakeholders, such as a board of directors?
Businesses' primary objective is to generate revenue. Survival of the fittest is a frequent characteristic of the global economy.
8. Can your job or position be outsourced easily?
Many major corporations and companies have chosen to uproot domestic jobs in favour of cheaper labour elsewhere. In the sluggish economy, companies are getting better at doing with less, and requiring employees to fill multiple roles to save themselves from the pink slip queue.
9. Is your job or position being duplicated in the community?
Certain companies, organizations and industries may not be able to sustain likeminded services and still compete as the established product or service.
10. Are your professional achievements undervalued?
Territorial behaviour does exist. So does professional envy.
Now, here's how to don the professional coat of armour and minimiize the chances of a forthcoming layoff.
Quick remedies:
1. Document all your professional milestones in the last year and a half (ie achievements, accomplishments, etc.) The most crucial is to show how you have saved/made an employer money, saved time and/or improved something. Employers have a one track mind.
2. Know your allies at work. Get support immediately. Receiving the pink slip unexpectedly hurts enough, unless you have a support network to soften the blow. Support starts from home and extends into the workplace with trusted colleagues who can vouch for your achievements and accomplishments.
3. Get testimonials (letters of reference, etc) from colleagues or someone who knows your work peformance and ethics intimately. Advance further and get testimonials online. Remember, your online identity is priceless.. Use linkedin.com testimonials to your advantage. Facebook also has an application for this. Or check out http://www.comerecommended.com/
At least you will have online testimonials that are visible and speak to your professional integrity.
4. If you ARE laid off, grieve the loss of your job. Remember the reference to identity earlier? Remember J.T O'Donnell's comment from www.careerealism.com/? Losing your identity is just what is implied. It is a loss. Allow yourself time (briefly-don't draw out the grieving process). Losing a job translates to losing one's identity, at least in North Amercian society.
5. Be aware (just aware) of the cycle of unemployment (the signs resemble the stages of grief). Each individual grieves differently.
6. Get professional help to deal with point #5, if necessary.
7. Have a job search plan and hire a coach to devise a strategy that is winnable for you.
8. Take solace that layoffs rarely reflect you personally (though it may seem so, in a painful way). They reflect economics more often that not.
9. Take advantage of training or new training. Learn a new language. (Remember, the economy is no longer local, it is global). Or find a credential that few people possess in your field. Discover where the niches or specializations are in your chosen field or industry.
10. Volunteer your time. Elevate your self-esteem and contribute to the community. Unpaid uemployment is still valued by employers. By giving back to the community, you will elevate your self-esteem, cultivate contacts and still contribute (despite the non-monetary factor).
Bonus tip: Create your OWN job. Tap into some entrepreneurial spirit and craft a job proposal. Some studies say that job proposals can increase your chances of penetrating the hidden job market by up to 40%. Now that's substantial!
In closing, powerhouse Brian Tracy has a brilliant tactic to uplift you in turbulent times:
"Practise being an inverse paranoid, convinced that there is a vast conspiracy to make you successful."
WOW! And I love to quote the ancient Romans, "Fortune favours the bold."
Go out and be productive in your life!
Best wishes,
Melissa Martin
bilingual career coach and ebook author, How to use social media in your job search
www.careercoachingbyphone.com/
