Whether it's a mass layoff or a departmental re-sizing, think, "I could be next." Rumors of a company layoff can paralyze people but it shouldn't be that way. They can turn fear into positive action.
Thorsten Veblen once said, "No one travelling on a business trip would be missed if he failed to arrive." That almost rhymes with "no one is indispensable." You can argue that loyalty and seniority have their rewards but here's the bad news: times have changed: As Byron Simerson and Michael McCormick say in their book, Fired, Laid Off, Out of a Job: A Manual for Understanding, Coping and Surviving (Praeger, 2003), "In the business setting, we believe that if we do a good job for the company, the company should watch out for us. That ideal may have been lost in recent turbulent times." Nothing can be further than the truth.
Keep your antennas up and ask yourself:
These are only a few of the many "symptoms" that a company may be exhibiting. Rely on your gut instincts. You don't need rocket science to be able to tell that something about the company just doesn't feel right.
Act Now!
I speak from experience. When I worked for the CEO and owner of a large electronics firm, it was an enviable job with excellent perks. My boss made me feel like I was manna from heaven. But on my tenth year, I was transferred to the office of the president - the second in command. I felt then that my days were numbered. After two years, I was handed the pink slip.
I didn't dwell on my demotion. Instead, I...
1) ...started moonlighting. I wanted to have something I could fall back to when I finally got the axe. I built up a portfolio of clients who needed writing and translation services.
2) ...had business cards and simple brochures made which I distributed to as many people.
3) ...enlisted the support of friends working in different industries who could give me ideas on how to market my writing and translating skills.
4) ...spent my lunch hours researching in the library, scooping up possible opportunities in my chosen field.
5) ...spent my evenings contacting web site owners if they needed writing or editing services.
There's a lot more you can do depending on the skills you want to promote. The idea is NOT to wait after the layoff happens. In fact, my advice is to secretly nurture a second career that will help cushion the impact of your eventual departure. Don't think that just because you've been a model employee, you have "diplomatic immunity." No such thing!
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