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Keywords: jobs, job, economy, laid off, diversity, DiversityInc, career, career advice, recession, layoff
The economy is slow and your employer is tightening budgets, cutting expenses, combining departments, and, worst of all, laying off redundant positions.
What do you do? Now is not the time to sit on your laurels, hoping if you don't make waves no one will notice you're still on the payroll. Now is the time to increase your output, demonstrate your special skills and knowledge of the business, share those revenue-generating or revenue-saving ideas with your supervisor, network outside your department and demonstrate the value of your external networks. Now is the time for action if you do not want to be laid off.
Here are five ways to make sure you are the one your company keeps:
- Bosses don't cut people they like and value.
Luke Visconti, partner and cofounder of DiversityInc, notes that employees who are first to get the ax are those who are obviously expendable. So make sure your supervisor is aware of your value to the company's revenue stream. Methods of standing out include facilitating meetings, sharing your ideas at those meetings and providing feedback about projects in your department or at your company if you have relevant ideas to share.
"The worst thing people can do during a downturn is become cynical," says Tony Jenkins, market president for
Jenkins adds that one way to further develop a relationship with the boss and demonstrate that you're a valuable team member is by meeting with the boss to clarify exactly what is needed of you at this time. This exercise will ensure there is as little ambiguity regarding the employee's responsibilities and value as possible.
"When folks are being considered for being released, there is ambiguity on what their role is," says Jenkins. "So gain agreement and alignment as to what the job responsibilities and desires of the boss are. At the end of the day, people can say they're letting people go for all sorts of reasons, but it comes down to being a mediocre or average performer. What you've got to do is distinguish yourself from other coworkers, identify your strengths and get better at what you're already good at, and that will make you more valuable than others."
- Know your brand.
Identifying your responsibilities will help you to further establish your value to the company. Once you know your value, you can brand yourself as a company need.
Jenkins, who is a mentor to executives, asked one mentee recently, "What is your brand? What do people know you as at work?" His point is that an employee should be known for commitment, team building and being proactive and solution driven.
"You always have to be protective of your brand, which is you as an individual," says Jenkins. "People have to get laser-focused in on the value they bring and what is their brand as an employee in the organization."
Miriam Muley, president and founder of the 85% Niche and former executive vice president of diversity growth markets at General Motors (No. 44 on the DiversityInc Top 50), suggests that a way of developing that brand is to constantly learn new skills.
"Get training and exposure in areas that will continue to add value to your portfolio and so you will always be a source of new ideas," says Muley. "Also, know where the corporation is going and don't be locked into a world of the past."
- Go the extra mile.
To demonstrate that you add value, Muley says, employees must do extra work. That might not mean staying at work until midnight. It does mean having a keen awareness of the business' needs, competitors and the industry so your ideas will help the company build revenue and market share.
"Anticipate your department's needs and certainly your manager's needs by thinking what questions might come up and what the competition is doing," says Muley. "Be proactive as the person with the solutions. That tells your manager you're committed to the organization's goals."
- Network with a purpose.
"Continue to network within your organization or company," says Jenkins. "I call it 'networking with a purpose.'" The purpose part is networking to ensure you have support among the senior leaders. Jenkins adds, "You've got to ensure you have supporters of you and your work who reside in the upper echelons of the company. If you have sponsors who are senior executives, then when your name comes up around the subject of layoffs or promotions, you have someone who can speak for you."
That type of networking will give an employee's supervisor, boss or manager the language with which to speak about them in high regard during reviews, Visconti adds.
Muley agrees and says that while "network" may be an overused word and idea, it is invaluable. She says, "It's not only who you know but who knows you. Know people outside your department, departments with which you might not have direct day-to-day contact but ones with which it's important to stay connected. And look to teams that are complimentary to yours because you never know what opportunities will bubble up in the future. Then the people in other departments will talk about you and you've built your brand outside your specific group.
- Let your successes, both inside and outside the company, be known.
Don't trumpet your success through the office in an obnoxious manner, but let your boss know about your external involvements and recognition that will reflect positively on the company, says Muley.
"If you're the kind of person who has been getting external awards, then make sure that gets communicated," says Muley. "That shows your value from an external arbiter. So don't be shy about sharing your successes and accomplishments, the roles of distinction and the roles of contribution. Let your boss know you're giving to others and that you're fully integrated in your work and representing your company well externally."
Readers' Comments
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Posted: Thursday, Aug 14, 2008 5 Ways to Avoid a Layoff What I told my kids: Lawrence Newton |
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Posted: Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 5 Ways to Avoid a Layoff I would like to add some more factors that in my opinion are as important as those presented in the article. Aside from demonstrating value to one's supervisor or one's department, it is a plus to be able to demonstrate value to the organization as a whole to avoid being targeted in a massive layoff by the number crunchers. In a large company, this means having the opportunity to be engaged and serve with distinction in visible projects, not all of which is within one's control, and not having the opposition of persons of influence - a delicate balancing act. Michael Esposito |
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Posted: Wednesday, Aug 06, 2008 5 Ways to Avoid a Layoff I was laid off two weeks ago and your suggestions were right on time. My old boss left the organization and I inherited a new boss that was not interested in having an assistant with all my skillsets. I was overqualified for her needs therefore I was let go. I was the only one in the dept. to be laid off. We hired 2 new people!! I have learned a valuable lesson. I was laid off in 2004 due to downsizing from an airline that used seniority. So here I go again seeking employment. Kim Epperson |
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Posted: Wednesday, Aug 06, 2008 5 Ways to Avoid a Layoff In our society today, boot licking is in high demand. We have the ones that rat on the others to gain just a pat on the head, and others in order to gain recognition will do and say anything to be recognized at the expense of others. Go the extra mile will only mean that they will expect more for less. Oh sure you keep your job but at what expense, moral values, and ethics. People of color are expected to produce more and accept everything in order to fit in. This is a problem not discussed in earnest. Alton Clark |
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Posted: Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008 5 Ways to Avoid a Layoff These are all good ideas, but they won't do any good for people who have a union job, because they layoff strictly by seniority. While having a union is good as far as providing good benifits and good pay, they(unions) hinder companies from selecting employees by who are better for the company and who have the best work habits. Just wanted to add that because I work for a union company who is talking of closing the facility where I work in as early as next year.Just wanted to give another side to this scenario since job cuts seem to be affecting all of us in some way. Ulaunda Russell |
