'5 Ways to Avoid a Layoff' Readers' Comments

What I told my kids:
Your word is your bond. Be honorable.
Find something you love to do; not just a job.
Be Pro-Active. See the need and work toward the goal.
Be a problem solver, not another problem.
You may not be able to avoid being laid off. Get up and get out there and find the next great thing you're going to do.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The last item in this article stated that it's a good idea to share your outside awards and accomplishment. It may be helpful for many readers for you do do some research on insecure bosses. Often times if you report to a less than secure supervisor, sharing your outside achievements could intimidate your boss and make things more difficult. Please share some insight on the best way to handle a "no leadership at the top" workplace environment.

I am not cynical. But here is my case. I am a mature worker with a great deal of experience who wanting to change industry took a job at a low level thinking that one I would learn about the industry, two be given the opportunity to grow through extra work/exposure. But, this has not been the case. People around me all hide everything from me so I would not be acquainted with the work being done. No, it is not easy to just leave. My age, sex, color, and nationality are not helpful. I hear and would like to do everything the article is underlining. But I tell you, this is one ceiling I can't do anything about. Can you help?

I thought this was an excellent article, and I plan to keep it in my job-search file. I am currently a student, and I plan to share it with my Human Relations in Organizations Class.

Given what took place in my office today, these items are what have kept me on the payroll. Yes, they may not work for orgs with unions however, mainstream corp America...yes it works.... Hey, if the company offers training take advantage of that too, especially Six Sigma.....