The Sky is Falling - 6 Ways to Get Through the Threat of a Layoff

Are things changing at your workplace? Do things feel "off"? Have there been rumblings of an impending layoff?  Do you feel like you're going to be laid off? Has your boss been "hinting" at changes?

Does all this have you running around with your brain in an internal frenzy, like Chicken Little? Is this your self-talk: The sky is falling! I'm gonna lose my job! I'm gonna lose my house! I'm gonna be living on the streets!

Or, do are you rolling up your sleeves and getting to work, doing as many positive things as you can? People in this mode have this kind of self-talk: I'm gonna be fine! I have so many talents! Getting laid off could be the best thing to happen to me!

Things might seem out of control. You are like Chicken Little if you huddle around the water cooler and gossip about possible layoffs. Or start making cryptic or angry posts on Facebook. That kind of behavior may make you feel better temporarily but, it will usually end up getting you more deeply into a pit of despair and worry. And, you are wasting valuable work time by complaining and become less and less productive.

In a situation where things seem out-of-control, the best thing to do is to focus on what you can control. Here are some positive things you can do now to help you gain a little control over the situation:

1. Make an honest personal assessment.
A. Make sure you're not in neutral. If you are, take steps to get out of that gear. I wrote about neutral employees about a month ago. Being honest, neutral employees are often the first employees to get laid off. (Next on the list are employees who challenge the status quo by loudly voicing their complaints without any solutions. More on that in another post!)
B. List the pros and cons of your current job, if there are more cons, then being laid off might just get you off your butt and into a new opportunity.

2. Get your resume in order.
Make sure it is heavy on accomplishment language and remove all those words like "positive self-starter". What the heck does that even mean? There's a great article on terms to stop using in your resume. Click HERE to read it. Your resume should list your accomplishments in plain language. Depending upon how real the threat of layoff is, you might even want to start looking for another job at this point.

3. Discreetly clean out your workspace.
Take home the extremely personal stuff first. People will get suspicious if they see you doing a major spring-cleaning so don't make a massive sweep in one day but, start taking those knick-knacks home. Start shredding what needs to be discarded and filing what needs to be saved (Check your company's policy on what to discard, what to save). Also, start cleaning out your email in-box. This actually serves two purposes. One, if you do get laid off, you won't be packing up 16 boxes of accumulated junk; and, two, if you don't get laid off, your workspace will look cleaner and more productive. You'll give the impression of accomplishing more.

4. Start helping others.
Shifting your brain from yourself to others is a great way to stop focusing on you and the problems at hand. Help your co-workers, volunteer somewhere that interests you, or reach out to your neighbors. Just getting your brain off your (perceived) impending doom can really help. If you choose to volunteer, choose an agency that you would love to work for. Sometimes volunteers turn in to employees!

5. Get your finances in order.
There are some great, easy to read books on this topic, I have a link to them on my Pinterest page.

6. Start making positive connections in the virtual  and real world.
Make sure you are connecting with co-workers and leaders that you enjoy. Bonus if you can help them in any way. If you aren't on LinkedIn and actively participating, you should be. If your Facebook is mostly angry posts about your boss/workplace then you should clean that up and start making positive connections -OR make certain your account is completely private between only you and your friends. WARNING: Social networks aren't for all take and no give, people can tell when you're desperately searching for a job. The time is now to start reaching out.

Favor

At church, our Pastor talks about "favor".  He doesn't talk about favor in the typical terms of "you do this for me and I'll do that for you". No, he talks about it in terms of a blessing (large or small) that comes into your life while you're living as honorably and honestly as you can. So, while I'm at play rehearsal, I'm helping a young actor learn lines. Not because I expect or want anything in return, just because I have the experience and the time to help. I am giving favor to that person -just because.

I write a recommendation to someone on LinkedIn because I truly enjoyed working with them and think they have something to offer an employer. I expect NO endorsement in return. I do it just because.

Because it makes me happy; it makes me feel good. Because I'd rather put something positive out into the world as often as possible, rather than something negative.

Sometimes favor comes back to me but usually not from the person who I bestowed favor to. It comes in the form of a medical bill that was lower than I expected. It comes in the form of winning a gift certificate in a contest. If you put good OUT, it will come BACK.

What favor have you bestowed unconditionally in the past week? Month? Year?

What favors have been bestowed upon you in the past week? Month? Year?

The Unwritten Expectations of the Job

Leaders, there's a great book called THE 7 HIDDEN REASONS EMPLOYEE'S LEAVE. The #1 reason on their list is: Job or workplace not living up to expectations.

Expectations begin with the job posting lots of jobs look good on paper but learning to read between the lines will help manage your expectations from the beginning.

If you're on Linkedin, you get those "this job might be a good fit for you" pop-ups when you log in. Do you ever click on them? I do, if the job title is intriguing enough.

A job popped up recently that captured my attention. The job title looked good, Director -People & Culture Development - but, see, when I read through the job description, I got the impression that their culture isn't so good.

One of the central functions of the job is to make sure that company makes one of the "best places to work" lists. 

Being on a "best places to work" list gets a company a lot of street cred but doesn't usually tell the true story about what's really going on.(I speak from experience.)If they want someone to develop the culture that also tells me that it ain't so good right now. 

Deeper into the job posting there were at least 5 or 6 bullet points that began with "create and implement . . ." which in corp-speak translates to "we don't do any of this right now but we know we should".

The unwritten part of creating and implementing a program is getting the entire company to agree with your plans and to participate in what you're trying to create and implement. Have you ever tried to get a toddler to do something they don't want to do? Or give an animal a pill? Yup, that's what "creating and implementing" is like in a workplace. If you're LUCKY you can "create and implement" about 1 new program a year.

The additional duties were all the basic HR generalist functions. By my estimate, the work that 4 - 6 people do at any other business . . . .

Then, there was the little matter of "expected 40 - 50 variable hours per week" and "twice yearly off sites". Which translates to: you will have no life when you work here, you will be at our beck and call.

I wish that company luck in finding a "good fit" for that position. But, even more, I wish luck to the person who actually agrees to all the written -and unwritten- job requirements. I certainly wouldn't want it. 

Have you ever taken a job that's description seemed good on paper but turned out to be not-so-good?

7 Ways to Give Back

Leaders, what have you done for someone else today? Life isn't just work and work isn't your life. Where do you give back?

I think life is richer, and work is more satisfying when we give back. A lot of the ways for you to give back only take a few seconds but they make a HUGE impact!

It's so easy here are a few suggestions on how you can give and enrich your life:

1. Share an event or page on Facebook, especially if a friend is trying to get a business off the ground;
2. Make a comment on Linkedin, or endorse someone for a skill (if you genuinely know they possess that skill);
3. Volunteer your time or donate your money: there are a zillion non-profits out there -find one that lines up with your beliefs and spend some TIME helping them;
4. Take someone to lunch;
5. Call, email, text or WRITE to a friend or family member who you know is struggling with something;
6. Say "please" and "thank-you" when you are out in public and someone helps you; and,
7. Pay attention when people speak, put down the cell phone and engage.

Easy, right?

Being Social

Leaders understand that social networks are for being SOCIAL; which means: reaching out, connecting, maintaining and creating relationships. With rare exception, the super-majority of my actor-friends "get" this. They are engaging and funny and fun. They share, they interact -it seems to be in their DNA. Maybe because their work is all about interaction and observation.

 It is funny, I can always tell when someone from my "business world" is looking for work because they suddenly become verrrrry busy in the social world. Lots of "endorsements" and new "friends" on LinkedIN (But, surprisingly not a ton of comments or "likes" on posts.) I also see lots of postings on Facebook and Twitter but still, not a lot of reaction to others.

It's the virtual world's version of a selfish child shouting "Look at ME! Look at ME! Look at what I can do!" -OR- a boorish new acquaintance at a cocktail party outlining their list of accomplishments without pausing for a breath or asking what is going in YOUR world.

I hate to break it to you, but people can see through all that. If you can sense ANY potential or use in the world of the social network, what you're going to need to do is interact with people consistently -especially when you AREN'T selling something (or looking for work).

Social networks work best when you approach the party with a sense of excitement to interact with friends, to make new friends and to match people up with like interests/needs/wants with NO anticipation of "getting something" out of it.

I like that thrill of sharing a website with a friend, or introducing two friends who have mutual goals, or of sharing content that I hope will impact/help/inspire someone.

Either start now creating genuine connections or don't do it at all; anything else will cause you more damage than good.