6 Ways To Keep Your Job During Lay-off.

There’s always the workplace gossip or should I say, office chat. Employers know its bad and must always try to discourage this within their workforce. You may be feeling insecure about your job because the news is going round that the board/employer have plans to make some roles redundant or maybe only your role is going to be made redundant. It’s a negative feeling, a bad counter-productive agent that will steal an employee’s mental well-being.

Even though it may be just a rumour, with the current pandemic situation in the world, this article might just help you keep or save a job. But if it’s an inevitable job loss; we look at a few steps you might want to consider.

1. Self Evaluation.

Do you know it’s a good practice to always review oneself periodically whether in your career, relationship, spirituality, as a parent, a boss, even as a priest? Self evaluation is a key factor to self development. We can’t have a solution if there’s no problem.

Redundancy must be in a fair process and no one should feel they were discriminated against. Employers will usually have selection criteria which must be agreed with all involved employees.

The criteria will be based on:

-          Quality / Standard of work.

-          Attendance record (must not include absences related to protected acts like pregnancy, disability, maternity)

-          Qualification, skills and experience.

-          Disciplinary record of employees.

-          Employees must not be selected because of a protected acts such as race, nationality, sex, their marital status, or because of a family related leave, or an absence they had due to been in self isolation as a result of coronavirus.

In order words, it has to be about the job not the personality traits. Employees must be consulted during this process.

Having said these, you can easily tell if you have not been giving your all to your job. Have you been making excuses not to go to work? Have you been making mistakes at work? These are just the common ones and it may not be too late to change your attitude to work.

Be proactive in getting things done. Is there a dress code at work? Adhere to the rules. Do not encourage gossip around your desk or anywhere in the office. It could come back to bite you. There are ways you can avoid that gossip. You can start a work related topic instead.
How does your qualification compare with your colleague?

Get qualifications to match theirs or get better qualification than theirs. In most cases you won’t have to start a university program. There are lots of professional certifications which you can earn with part-time studies. You don’t have to wait to pass your certification before you update it on your resume. You can mark it as “in progress” “to be completed by”

Submit your updated CV to the HR and if it goes down to redundancy, you would have shown to your employer that you are a fighter.

2. Understand the situation.

Many employees only care about their wages such that they don’t know a lot about how the employer conducts its business or how the company is performing against its competitor(s). Okay you know the basics of the business but do you know how things are run? Can you tell when the business is struggling or if it’s about to miss another target? You need to try and figure out what the issue is. 

Your employer may have lost one or two big clients and are trying to minimize losses by making some less important roles redundant. Is your position regarded as less important? Can you do something about that?

I will give you an example. An administrator can look for ways the company can minimize their cost by looking for cheaper suppliers (with approval from line manager) for their postage needs, toner/office supplier. This is just an illustration of how a little adjustment could save cost for the employer. Such efforts can increase your employer’s evaluation of you. Can you help your employer secure new attractive contracts? Do you have other business portfolio that might interest your employer? Make a proposal / business plan and get it over to your boss. Even if your proposal isn’t successful, the efforts may be recognized by your boss.

3. Write to your boss

You can also write to your boss about your concerns. Be bold but polite about it. You can ask if there is something you can do to keep your job. You can even request to go part-time in the period of the company’s poor performance and have the option to go full time when things improve. Tell your boss you are open to have a new contract if that will save your post.

Your boss could sympathize with you and may consider your request by telling you what you can do. There is no harm that can come from asking if your job is at risk. Even if you do not get a favourable answer, it could prepare you for your next action.

4. Request a transfer

Unfortunately each department is valued differently in relation to the service or products offered by companies. Some companies rely heavily on litho operators and can do with lesser or no receptionist while some companies are IT based and may have 90% of employees as IT professionals. Some positions may have to be made redundant due to financial loss especially during the coronavirus pandemic.

Do you have skills that can be transferred to other teams? You can learn new skills. You can ask to move to other teams that may be able to absorb you into their team. Show to the head of the department you would like that you can learn and adapt quickly on the job.

You can learn new skills quickly on different streaming platform for free or at a fee on youTube or udemy. It may not be too late to take that action. With the lockdown due to the current coronavirus pandemic, now is the time to learn. You may never have this luxury of time again.  

5. Go a Gear Up

Okay so you can’t move to other teams or department but you could yet take an easier step. You show more commitment working extra hours. It is true you must be paid overtime but most companies will not tell you they expect you to an extra mile to deliver your duties but this is how some employees get promoted ahead of their colleagues.

Go a gear up with your output. Be noticed by your manager that you are giving more. This may not go down too well with your colleagues so you have to smart about it. You may come across as one who is showing off your their tasks but if you are smart about it, this may increase colleagues productivity. Isn’t that what the company wants? A highly productive staff may yield higher profit and higher profits may translate to some job security within the organization.

6. Put Yourself Out There

This may also be the time to put profile out there. I am one of the introverts but I have learnt to understand that I may have to go out of my norm to get whatever I want. Are you on linkedin, facebook, instagram or twitter?

Whether you are looking for new job or you want to market your skills / business, a lot people now max the benefits social media platforms. You should consider marketing yourself on these platforms. Many job opportunities are now posted on these social media platforms.

Finally, Negotiate your exit

With other options out and you know your time is up with the employer. You can try to negotiate your exit. It’s a win-win for both parties (you and your employer). Most employers would rather offer severance package than face an employment tribunal claims. Even when things are done right by the employer, they may still incur legal fees from defending a claim.

It will leave your resume intact better than getting a sack. You should get your CV updated and start looking for a new job. I know it’s easier said than done but you need to face the reality. Coronavirus may have taken away jobs but you can let it take away from zeal for success.

You are not guaranteed a severance package and if you are dismissed, you may want to seek legal advise on your current circumstance if you have been dismissed wrongly.

This could also be a time for you to look at other options – career development, acquire new skills or consider self employment opportunities. If you are in the UK, the government is running a scheme for residents who may have a business idea. You could get up to £25,000 to start a new business.

Whenever you decide, see it as an opportunity rather than a disappointment.

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