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Career Tip |
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Plan Your Career
move carefully and don't just shift from one job to another
for the smallest of reasons! |
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What's Next On The Cards?
Ms. Deepa has been working
in an Indian based software company for the last five years. One fine
Friday evening around four, she was called by the HR, and said that her
services are no longer required for the company. The reason she was
given, role redundancy. But in truth, she is a victim for the new
mantra of IT corporates “Cost cutting”. She is just one among the
hundreds who are being given pink slips across all major corporates of the
IT and financial services sector. (The name has been changed on request).
With almost all companies, powerhouses included, trying to salvage what is
left due to the recent economic slump, it is the common salaried man, who
is affected the most.
Here are a few tips that can be followed to ease the situation:
For
Laid-off Employees
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Don’t lose confidence
and let yourself be bogged down with the loss of your job. This is the
most essential step. Just keep in mind that this is not the end of life.
There are things beyond it and you have the capacity to explore and
succeed in all of them. Avoid listening to negative thoughts and develop
immunity to the negative influence of people around you.
Don’t draw early conclusions and panic the people around you. Be
composed and handle your emotions with utmost care. If need be, opt for a
few individual and family counseling sessions. Be patient and understand
that you too have your own skill set. Sooner or later you are bound to
land in the right job. |
Keep trying, Keep trying and Keep trying. Don’t lose hope. Try
through all your contacts. Take the help of consultants and job portals.
Contact your ex-employers, ex-bosses, etc because they know your merits
and demerits. You will be surprised to know that your last boss will be
the best source for contacts and reference. Keep attending interviews and
find out whether you stand in terms of employer’s expectations.
Develop your skills and
visit your basics. Use this time in the best possible way you can.
Keep yourself engaged and revisit your basics. Develop all your skills and
keep yourself updated. Sharpen your communication skills.
Be focused on what you want exactly want in career and move your
cards accordingly. After an unexpected break like this, it is pretty tough
to be clear in mind on what is going to be the next step. Still, take the
help of seniors, experienced persons and get their inputs as well, to take
your career forward.
For HR Managers
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Retaining the Existing
workforce - This is the biggest challenge facing the HR managers
immediately after layoffs. The existing workforce begins to put down their
papers in panic and anxiety. The best option is to motivate the existing
workforce. Keep them informed of the developments and empower them with
additional responsibility and assure them that they are in safe hands. |
Be transparent with the activities to be taken and explain the
reasons/ queries for layoffs. Keep employees informed on what other cost
cutting measures that are to be undertaken like power cut downs,
restricted usage of lifts, more charges for cafeteria services, etc. To
make your employees more cooperative, invite suggestions from them on what
other cost cutting measures can be implemented.
Provide stress free environment to the existing workforce and
enhance their productivity level. If need be, try to arrange for one to
one interactive/ counseling session.
Build team synergy – building employee morale is a key step to
increase productivity. Activities like competitions, fun at work,
celebrating b’days, surprise gifts from HR for meeting targets on time,
daily stand up meetings, cultural activities, etc can be done with minimal
budget but their effects are often far fetching.
For employees who have been left stranded,
sharpen your skill set, revise your basics
and be ready to face a barrage of interviews without losing hope. Your
last employer may in no longer need your services, fine, but it does not
mean that there are no job providers for you. When there is a will to
succeed, definitely there is a way out.
For HR managers, identifying the persons to be laid off is easy, but it is
tough to keep up the morale of the rest of the employees. Play your cards
right, and you might just succeed.
Present scenario is turbulent and so is the future predicted to be. So it
is time for all of us to be on our toes ready for anything.
Contributing Writer: Divya Kumar is
a practicing HR professional in a media company
divyamba@gmail.com
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