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Across the country, employers are making sweeping redundancies. If you don’t want to become an unemployment statistic, read on…
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Forget the corporate flannel. Inevitably, it is those who are perceived to be “dead wood” that are the first to go when cutbacks are made. Those who are perceived to be lazy, lacking drive or creativity, pedestrian, or those who simply perform adequately rather than outstandingly, face the highest risk of redundancy. Yes, this may be illegal under current employment legislation. But people are people, and employers will find a way to keep on people they like wherever possible. So don’t be dead wood. Ensure that your performance is the best it can be. Be professional, friendly, inter-ested and hard working, all day, every day. Slog like you have never slogged before. At a time like this, you simply can’t afford to have an “off day.” |
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Take as little holiday as you can. In a survey of 1,006 people recently commissioned by TipTopJob.com, over 50% of people interviewed said that they would be cancelling their holiday due to the recession, and that they believed that taking holiday whilst redundancies were on the cards put them at higher risk of redun-dancy. If your team can cope absolutely fine without you for a fortnight, management will start to wonder whether you might be dispensable. Far better to carry holiday over to the following year, or even lose it altogether, than lose your job. Be prepared to cancel or reduce time off. Explain to your employer that, whilst you were looking forward to your holiday, you feel it is important that every-one pulls together during hard times, and you don’t want to leave colleagues in the lurch. Make it clear that you are, for the time being at least, prioritising work over leisure time. When it’s clear that your job is secure in the long term, then it will be time to celebrate with a week or two in the sun. |
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Acquire new skills that are relevant to your job, fo-cussing particularly on areas where your colleagues are under skilled. If you possess skills or special qualifications that nobody else has, you are less vulnerable. Keep a close eye on training courses that you think may be relevant and ask to go on them. If the company you work for is making cutbacks, approach your boss to ask whether they would consider part-funding any training courses you want to attend, if you contribute to the fees. Even if the answer is no, they will appreciate your making the offer and it will be noted that you are keen to develop your skill set. Read everything you can – magazine articles, books, published conference papers. These will all help you to ensure that your skills are absolutely up to date. Just make sure you mention what you have read to your boss – there’s no point keeping your new skills a secret. |
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Work longer hours. Arrive early and leave late, and always be the first to offer to stay late to help your boss if he or she is having a crisis. Keep a jacket slung across the back of your chair, so that even when you are not at your desk, it appears that you are in the office. Keep your PC or laptop permanently switched on if possible, and leave your desk in an “active” state – a file open on your desk, a half drunk cup of coffee – anything to ensure the impression that you have just popped away from your desk for a minute. Don’t take long lunch breaks, or slope off to a coffee shop; work through your lunch hour and have a sandwich at your desk – it will be noticed, particularly if you do so regularly. Don’t stand outside the front of your place of work having a prolonged cigarette break and a chat with colleagues. Make sure that any extra time you put in coincides with when your boss is in the office. There is no point arriving at 7.30am each day, when your boss doesn’t rock up until 8.30 or 9.00am, as your extra efforts will go un-noticed. |
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Keep a record of your successes. Whether it’s an idea that you came up with that was later adopted by the company, or work that you did on a successful meeting, successful negotiation with a difficult customer, financial savings made, or targets that you have exceeded. This can form part of your armour in the face of possible redundancy. Keep hold of any emails or other correspondence from clients or more senior colleagues which praise you for a particular piece of work. |
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Don’t go off sick. Dose yourself up and drag your sorry self into work – even if it’s in the almost certain knowledge that your boss will tell you to go home. It shows commitment and determina-tion in the face of adversity, and that will impress your boss. Or, if you are really too ill, then make yourself available at home by phone and email, and offer to work from home until you are fully recov-ered. |
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Never get caught “skiving” – sending personal emails, online shopping or visiting social networking sites will only fast track you to the top of the redundancy selection list. Keep personal phone calls during working hours for absolute emergencies (Communication, not Conversation) – no employer wants to hear you arranging your social life on their time. Unless you want your boss to assume that you don’t have enough work to do, and there-fore wonder why he or she is paying you, why would you engage in an activity that says you are bored, unmotivated, and frankly not that busy. Is that really a risk you are prepared to take in the current economic climate? |
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If redundancies are in the offing, offer to take a re-duction in salary or hours – if you and your colleagues get together and suggest this to your employer, it may mean that nobody has to be made redundant. Your boss will appreciate your commitment to the company, and will feel like you are on his or her side. If your suggestion is accepted, then ensure that you are placed at the top of the queue back to full salary or hours by continuing to work your regular hours regardless. After all, if you are on a 4 day week, what are you really going to do with that extra time? Look on it as an investment in your long-term future with the company. |
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Under no circumstances should you harp on about your “rights as an employee,” or be seen to be complaining about changes to the status quo. It is vitally important that your boss regards you as someone who is on their side. Standing around the water cooler having a good old whinge about how badly you are being treated will upset and aggravate your employer, and will not stand you in good stead when redundancy selections are being made. Keep your head down and work hard. Sympathize with them when they are having to make cuts, rather than criticizing, and offer to buy them a drink at the end of the week. You may hate your boss, and what they are doing may seem outrageous and unfair, but now is the time to grit your teeth, and grin and bear it – that’s the marketplace, so adapt or die! |
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Women – avoid pregnancy. I know that this is a hideously non politically correct thing to say and that you will be horrified that I am daring to say such a thing, with all the legislation that is sup-posed to protect working mothers, but the fact is that maternity leave is an annoyance for employers on every level. Much as they may express their delight at your happy news and even contribute to the purchase of a cute baby gift, they are facing the budgetary burden of maternity pay, not to mention covering your work whilst you are on leave, and accommodating the flexible working hours required by many working mothers. Whilst the law is there to protect you from unscrupulous employers who use false reasons to get rid of you, you need to be aware that in the minds of management you may have just become a ‘problem’ that needs to be solved. Expect to be under the microscope. Any non pregnancy related cock-ups that may previously have resulted in just a slap on the wrist may be used as an excuse to remove you. |
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Finally, don’t worry too much about redundancy. If you go around with a black cloud over your head, foretelling gloom and doom, it will impact on your general demeanor and performance at work, thus making it a self-fulfilling prophecy. |
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If the worst happens and you do get made redundant, sug-gest to your boss that you continue to work for free for a couple of weeks to “tie up some loose ends” or “sort out any unresolved issues.” This shows the depth of your commitment to the company and the job, and once everyone else has gone, it may be easier to have a quiet chat about getting your old job back. |
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