In Sight and In Mind to Keep Your Job in a Recession
In the midst of a recession when many are losing their jobs due to layoffs, one of your most important priorities should be to do whatever it takes to keep your present job. And one of the best actions you can take is keeping in the sight and mind of your bosses by bringing something valuable to the company. Here are some ways to do that and stay in sight and in mind to better your chances of keeping your job in a recession.
If you are searching for another job, keep it to yourself. Oftentimes we don’t want to wait around until the hatchet falls and begin the job search while we have a job. It’s easier that way. But whatever you do, don’t tell a single soul you work for or with. You can rest assured that word will get around and your boss might just accelerate your layoff.
Volunteer for more work. In a recession when there is a threat of layoffs, going to work and having nothing to do is a bad indicator. Go into your boss’s office and ask for more work.
Stop working at home. Remember that the idea is to stay visible. Your employer may have given you a perk by allowing you to work from home however the problem with that is your employer also has a tendency to forget about you and only sees the salary you are getting as something to cut.
Seek out only important projects. During a recession, a boss might want to keep certain employees and give them “make work” projects. If you are given a make work project, try to sell it to others as an important project. And, if you can opt out of it for a mission-critical project then by all means do so.
Stay away from the water cooler. Don’t for a minute think your boss doesn’t know if you waste valuable company time congregated around the water cooler spreading gossip and whining instead of focusing on your job.
Cut back on extraneous volunteer projects during the recession. You may have been the office birthday coordinator but you should gracefully bow out during these tense times. Remember that volunteer activities like this add nothing to the company’s bottom line which is under close scrutiny during a recession. It is a matter of politely stating that you can no longer handle whatever volunteer project it is.
Prepare useful input prior to attending meetings. Ask your boss prior to a scheduled meeting what the agenda is. Then, predict as best as you possibly can what your boss will require as input from you. This way you go into the meeting ready to answer the tough questions and contribute to the objectives of the meeting. This can help protect your job during a recession because you bring value to the meeting table.
Be pleasant. Have a nature that is easy for others to work around no matter how bad things seem. A recession is an unpleasant time and complainers don’t help. These are the ones who seem to complain about every aspect of the job and work environment. It might be very true that their complaints are valid but your boss might get the impression that an employee with an unpleasant attitude is not happy and would be a candidate for the next round of layoffs. If you have to unload your frustrations, do it somewhere besides work.