1/31/2023

It’s been a minute, but talk of the Great Resignation ruled the airwaves.
 
And more recently, the tide has turned quickly into layoff mode.
 
Layoffs by the thousands.
 
The cycle will never stop based mostly on the cyclical nature of corporations, stock markets, and the economy.
 
 
But what is different now, is that it is so much easier for corporations to lay people off when they work remotely.
 
Changing passcodes and cutting someone off from the internal system, is much easier than it is to bring them into a conference room in the corporate office and have the exit interview with HR while a corporate security guard simultaneously cleans out the terminated employee’s office.
 
 
And it’s much easier for employees to change jobs as well, when working remotely.
 
The personal ties with management are just not as strong when most of the communication is done over text, email, or occasional Zoom calls.
 
 
I’m sure when the market switches back upward, employees will fight back and we’ll have ‘The Great Resignation” Part 2.
 
 
More transition than ever.
 
 
But not everyone gets laid off during the down cycles.
 
So if you are someone who is working today, and you don’t want to get caught in the massive swings of termination, here’s a quick checklist to help against being let go.
 
1.) Somehow, someway, get to know your manager, and your manager’s manager … and ideally another level of management ‘up’, on a personal level. Find out what they like to do when not working, and develop a connection with them on a personal level outside of just work.
 
2.) Always report what your plans for the day are at the beginning of the day, and always end the day with a recap of what you have accomplished. At the very minimum, send this to your direct manager.
 
3.) Always end conversations (via email, text, over the phone, with your specific go-forward tasks … and ‘give it back to them’ verbally, and also over email. In personal conversations there are no go-forward strategies, but every business conversation needs to have a specific go-forward next step).
 
4.) Do your best at your work, and report your findings internally and upward in the organization.

Politics and Productivity.

Playing politics and doing a great job will never not be important in the modern world of work, it’s just that you need to be a bit more creative now in how you do it because it’s hard to have talk at the water cooler over a Zoom call!
 
 
You guessed it, great skies and very cold here in SE-MI.
 
But it’s not stopping us.
 
Make it a great day, everyone!
 
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