The idea to write this
article came when I analyzed that increasing competition in the market; cost
cutting efforts of the companies, increasing automation have resulted in loss
of jobs of many employees and especially those whose work is of repetitive or
routine nature. There used to be a time when people could think of joining a company
and retiring from the same company whether it is a government organization or
private company. They have to just manage two things, performance on the job
and relationship with boss. But now circumstances have changed. Increasing
automation, pressure on performance, increasing competition and workplace
politics has resulted in job insecurity for many people.
In this post, I am
sharing some of the warning signs you must look into to find out whether your
job is in danger. It will also help you in chalking out a plan of action to
overcome the situation. Please note one thing that jobs which are of repetitive
nature are going to be cut down. With the advancement in technology, the work
of humans would be replaced by machines but if you have some creative skills or
you are able to find out creative and unique application of your skills, your
job is safe or instead it is also possible that you are able to gain good
opportunity from this technological advancement to progress. An important point
I would like to emphasize is that you have to get rid of mentality of having a
permanent job that used to be the case with government organizations. Now only
the best employee would be able to survive and for delivering your best, you
need to continuously evolve yourself. So take care of some of warning signs I
am sharing with you showing that your job may be in danger and you should think
of an alternative plan beforehand.
Due to space constraint
and with an intention of keeping this post short, I am not being able to cover all
the danger signs showing that your job may be at risk. I will cover some of the
most important signs and will also give you some tips through which you can work
on improving your chances of success and take an alternative action plan.
Warning
signal 1 – Your Company
has been acquired by another company
You can use the term “merger”
or “acquisition” but the fact is that one company among the two companies is
dominating. When this happens and the new management takes control, it is possible
that you may retain your job for several months following a merger, and it may
even create a certain level of complacency in you. But it will be almost
certain that your job will be in jeopardy unless and until you are able to
convince management about your innovativeness or how you are different from
other employees.
Warning
Signal 2 – Your work is being redistributed, questioned or your job profile is
changed
If your work is
suddenly being redistributed to others, it is probably not because your boss
sympathizes with your schedule and feels you are being overextended. This
action could be the company way of planning ahead. They do not want to
leave your clients in the dark in the weeks that follow a firing, so they are
preparing by assigning your tasks to someone else. Another strong sign is when
the quality of your work is being questioned on repeated occasions. Employers
often build a case against an employee before terminating them. If your
employer is suddenly finding fault with a lot of your work, this is a real
possibility.
Warning
Signal 3 – You are no longer invited to important meetings or your
relationship with boss takes a downturn
When the axe is about
to fall, managers see little advantage to having you present. One strong clue is
that you begin to develop a sense that you are being excluded from what is going
on in your department. All departments require a certain amount of interaction
between employees in order for work to flow smoothly. If you start to notice
that you are not getting certain memos and emails, that you are not being
included in various meetings, or that your input is no longer being requested,
you are probably a short timer on your job.
Warning
Signal 4 – Employer starts cost cutting measures and resorts to Increasing
automation
The degree to which this takes place will be a good
indication of how much time you have left on your job. If cost cutting is on
the fringes, like eliminating the holiday party, reducing bonuses, curtailing
certain employee benefits or even eliminating the coffee service, they may be
in the early stages of an attempt to improve profitability. If this is the
case, you will probably have several months before you are facing the threat of
a job loss. If on the other hand, your employer is eliminating employees, or
making substantial cuts in employee benefits, your tenure will probably be a
lot shorter. There is often a temptation to believe that if you are spared in a
round of cuts, that your job is safe. But if the employer’s financial situation
does not turn around shortly after the layoffs, more are probably on the way.
It may be only a matter of weeks before your number comes up.
If the company is adapting to increasing automation,
it may be a threat to those jobs which are of repetitive nature. If your work
is of repetitive nature which can be done by computers or automated machines,
then also there is a chance of loss of your job. For example, with the prevalence
of automated delivery systems in courier services, many jobs have been lost and
more will go with the passage of time.
What
to do about dealing with fear of losing job?
The occurrence of any
one of these events does not necessarily signal that your job is on the line.
However, a combination of two or more raises the stakes substantially. I would
advise you to follow these tips to improve your chances of success:
1. Diversify your skills and add value
for the company – Come out of repetitive tasks and do
something creative in your work so that management may recognize that it is
worthwhile to keep you in the company.
2. Schedule a personal meeting with your
boss to discuss your concerns
– If you are suspicious that your
job is in danger, then you can discuss with your boss your concerns and also
ascertain what you can do to change the situation. If there is no positive
response or the question makes him nervous, it is right time to plan for your
next job or take alternative action.
3. Improve your job performance and
try to take more responsibilities – If it is possible,
you should take some additional work or responsibilities in office and preferably
the ones that no one else wants. This may cause your employer and your
coworkers to see you in a different light.
4. Be innovative, be creative and find
out new areas of growth – It happens usually in sales jobs
where the employee is not able to bring desired business and is on the risk of
losing a job. In this scenario, do something different from the crowd, be
innovative, try to sell your ideas more creatively and it is possible that they
may work for you.
5. Take some time for introspection –
If nothing is working then spare some time for introspection and dwell on your
strengths and weaknesses and find out alternative course of action. Take help
of a good astrologer consultant to find out possible areas of growth and time
period during which they are expected to materialize. A good astrologer would
not only help you by right counseling, he will also suggest to you some
alternative course of action. Think over such action plan and give it some
time. Motivate yourself to give your best. With the passing of time, bad phase
of your life will also go away. Try not to take so much stress that it affects
your health as it will increase your problems in future. When you have so many
things to work for, you need good health to give your best. Think positive and
give your best and leave rest to the God. You will definitely succeed.
You can read this
article at our website at following link:
If you like the post, hit like button and share
with others also. A share of this post will spread the message of positivity.
Acharya Vikas Malhotra
Lal Kitab Astro Centre (LKAC)
lalkitabastro.com
