Recession Proof Your Job

When tough times come, and I believe they are here, cut backs and layoffs are sometimes unavoidable. Many organizations even get to the point of firing people with no indication if they will ever get their job back. Some, I am sure, are told they cannot come back.

It is easy for us to empathize with each and every employee facing this horrible situation today. Every time I watch the news or read the papers there is news of more layoffs, down sizing, and people losing their jobs. I can understand their pain whenever this happens but think I this is probably the worst time of the year. Most people are spending more than they make to meet monthly obligations. Many others spend well over their monthly budget and take nearly the whole next year to pay off these extra bills.

I have been thinking and wondering, have you ever thought about the process of cutting expenses from the business leaders point of view?

Try to envision yourself as the CEO, even better, the CFO, and you face a severe budget shortfall if you don't cut expenses. Where do you start? How deep do you go? Is there any reserves to tap into? Where can I make the deepest cuts without jeopardizing the companies long term sustainability? There are many questions to ask before a devastating procedure like this can start. Unfortunately, many leaders don't even ask. They just start hacking away.

I would start with operations and processes that do not involve people. Of course, many of the so called fringe benefits would have to go first. No matter what their steps are, eventually they will get to their people.

How do you prioritize your people? Do you rank them by their input to the team? How about their output (or dollars)? How about what has already been invested in them by the company? When you think about this, ranking people has always been a part of our society. Look at coaching, a good coach must rank his players in order of ability. This is how a starting lineup is picked.

Any business leader worth their salt can do the exact same thing with their employees. You have top performers, mediocre performers. and poor performers. Who do you think should be cut first? Certainly not the top performers.

So the real question is how to get into the "top performers" ranking?

It's a simple concept. Be the best employee in the company. If asked to work until 5pm, work until 5:30. If you need to accomplish a task in two weeks, make sure it is done in 13 days or less. If a volunteer is needed for a difficult task, be the first to raise your hand.

In other words, be a person of great character. If you are dependable, responsible, trustworthy, diligent, punctual, and thorough, I can promise you one thing. You will not be the first person released. Take a free tour of our character quality library. Click ALERTNESS!