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A Carol Kallendorf, Ph.D./Jack Speer Publication
Why
Corporations Should Help Make National Policy
When Your Job Is in Danger--
The Early Warning Signals
How do you know your job is in
danger? What are the early warning signs? It's one
thing to lose your job. It's something else, when you had
no idea that it was going to happen.
Sometimes a tornado comes out of nowhere and destroys everything
and there was no indication, not even on the most sophisticated
radar. Sometimes losing a job can be like that, totally
unexpected. There are usually signals, however, and
sometimes to the ears of others these signals are deafening, if
you are attuned to them
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"You're
Fired!" |
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Some years ago, Intel's then-CEO Andy Grove wrote a great book, Only
the Paranoid Survive. Andy Grove believed that a
certain amount of paranoia in the workplace could be a person's
salvation. Every year proves him more right. Only
those who are worried enough to be scanning their environment
for signs of danger can expect to avert it.
I had a boss once who said that in the workplace we're always on
a Disaster Scale. On a scale of 1-10, our job is
fairly safe right now if, say, we're at 2. We can move up
the scale fast toward 10, and at that point we lose our job.
It's our responsibility to always have a good idea where we are on the
Disaster Scale.
You may have a perfectly stable job, but our advice always is
don't take it for granted and always be aware of your options. The people in the workplace who
become victims are those who don' create options and have very few
when they need them. To those
who have options, they are always operating from
a foundation of power.
Here are some early warning signs that our job could be in danger.
You're in danger if you've lost
interest in your job. You're not worried because
you've got it all down to a
routine. You do what you think you should do and rush off
to do your own thing at the first opportunity. On the
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If your boss isn't giving you negative feedback, that's bad. It can mean he or she has given up on you, and they're waiting for the right opportunity to nudge you out. |
other hand, you may be a workaholic
and still have lost interest in your job. Maybe you've changed
or your job has changed, but there is no excitement in what you
do. You may think nobody knows you've lost
interest, but there are almost certainly many indicators that you have.
The most dangerous circumstance is when your boss doesn't chew
you out for bad performance anymore. He or she has gotten
to the point that they are very polite to you (totally lulling
you to sleep) and have taken a "whatever" kind of attitude to
what you do. Look for feedback from your boss and know
where his or her head is. Always be scanning what's
happening in your world of work.
Your job may end if it is tied to a specific revenue stream.
Many people are hired into organizations when there is a new
contract, government grant, or project that comes from
a specific--as opposed to general--fund. Many people just
assume that this revenue stream will go on forever, and it
rarely does.
Be sure to know which source of
revenue funds your job and the status of those funds. Was
the contract difficult to renew this year? Are there
specific limitations on the grant? Often we delude
ourselves by thinking people value us so much they'll absorb us
somewhere else in the organization. Often a loss of
revenue stream threatens the whole organization and they will
not be able to take care of you. If funding is for one
more uncertain year, take action immediately and try to relocate
in another role within the organization or begin the process of finding another
job.
There is a new information
technology system. More people have lost jobs because
of new technology than they to an overseas supplier.
Often one of the unannounced goals of the new IT system is to gain the kind of productivity that can eliminate jobs.
Again, be aware.
Don't get crushed in a consolidation. Many
companies are built to be sold to a bigger company. There
are continual industry consolidations. When this happens
the goal is to have one IT Department, one HR, one
Finance, etc. Where there are two in the same role, most
often there will soon be only one. At the first hint of
the sale of your company or its consolidation, begin your plan
to be the person left in the position. Yet realistically,
there are always winners and losers in these situations, and the
most competent don't always win. Have an alternate plan.
Be wary if your role doesn't
contribute to revenue. When companies decide who to
keep and who to lay off, the primary consideration will always
be given to the people who contribute most directly to producing
revenue. In good economic times it makes more sense to
employ people who contribute to the lifestyles of the employees
or enhance company image. When times get tough, however,
the core people who stay will be those who make the product or
deliver the service most directly.
If you work in a department such as training, be sure your
training programs boost productivity by teaching the skills
that get the product out the door better, faster, cheaper.
If you are in human resources, be involved in those activities
that most directly build a workforce that can produce.
Be careful of politics and public relations. You must manage your interpersonal relationships and company politics all the time. We have a saying that most people are hired for their technical skills and fired for their lack of people skills. This includes organizational politics. If you say you don't get involved in politics, then it is certain you're a primary candidate to become a casualty of them. You need to cultivate people who care about you to tell you how things are really going. How am I perceived in the organization? What is my value to the organization? Do I fit here? How can I relate better and fit in better?
These are some of the early warning signals that our jobs are in danger. Can you think of ones I've left out? Good. Put them on your list.
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