You're Fired!

‘Company to lay off 10% of employees’…’ ‘5000 employees shown the door’….'Company to trim poor performers’… scream the headlines of any respectable paper these days. The tension in the air is palpable and with every passing day this doomsday-like prophecy seems to be fast approaching; the fear that with one whack, everything normal will disintegrate.

The grim reality of today’s workplace is that jobs can be automated or outsourced and you can be replaced. The argument on lack of competence or 'poor performance' is debatable - who is to decide what competence is? Often this goes beyond performance ratings, tenure in the organization and comes down to the fact that you have a higher salary and replacement options are available or you and your reporting manager may not get along like ‘Friends’.

As I look around, my friends and family are all undergoing through this phase and I am not going to discuss legalities here or even explore if this is morally correct for companies. 

If you are tensed about if you will be next or have a close one going through this phase, it is time to ask yourself some fundamental questions.

1.      How do you define yourself?

Do you describe yourself as a Director/Vice President/ Manager and define your self-worth with your job title? Sadly, our social worth is defined by our job titles and power at work. Take this away and there is a gaping hole – all of a sudden you struggle to identify yourself, who are you supposed to be?

 Some food for thought: Do you have any interests or passions which lie outside of work, Do you volunteer, garden, play a sport ….just about anything which helps nurture your personality and creates access to meeting new acquaintances who connect with you for reasons other than your job title

Action: Create a whole ‘YOU’ and not only the ‘Corporate You’. There are multitudes of organizations that are making a difference globally and today even online volunteerism is available. Nurture the 'whole' you and not just the 'career' you.

2.      Are you financially secure to handle a career pause

Most upwardly mobile folks these days live off credit cards and go from salary to salary. Some have EMIs – a home loan, a car loan, an education loan, a personal loan, well… a loan for almost everything!

Some food for thought: Do you invest or save a percentage of your salary monthly? If you have saved about Rs 25lakhs and have a monthly expenditure of Rs 1 lakh, it will take you only 2 year to spend all your savings.

Action: Ensure that you save (always!!!) for at least 6months.. it could take you 6days to find a job or 6 weeks or even 6months!

3.      Do you know who are your real friends?

In today’s hustle bustle, friends are reduced to how many likes on Facebook, Instagram and Tweets. Even if you are the Ms./ Mr. Congeniality at work, are the life of any party and have hundreds of connections of LinkedIn, for almost 95% of these you will cease to exist the day you don’t have your fancy title and fat paycheck.  People will not reply to your texts, take your calls or even try and connect you to somebody who could offer you a shot at a job. Why? Simple you are a bad bet and of no use to them.

Some food for thought: How many people did you personally visit on Birthdays and Festivals (friends/family?)

Action: Spend time with your family – your parents/partners will be the only ones to stand behind you as a rock, firmly believing in your abilities. Appreciate them and nurture friendships which will last beyond a fancy job title.

Jobs will come and go; titles may get fancier or boring, remember you are much more than this !

Use the time to constantly keep your skills updated, stay ahead of the curve and more importantly learn to have fun in your life. This too shall pass...

****************************************************************************These are independent views of the author