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Yesterday I heard a show on NPR about recession-proofing your job. The expert they had on the air was asked for tips to hold on to your job if the economy continues to be rocky or gets worse and here were a few that he mentioned:
- Be as visible as possible at work. Make sure your boss sees you working and working hard.
- Come in earlier and leave later — put in some face time.
- If you telecommute, make it a point to be on more conference calls with your boss and even consider coming into the office more frequently.
- Stay busy — or appear to be busy all the time. Perceived slackers will be the first to go.
- Have a great attitude. Firing decisions are often subjective and no one wants to work with someone who is difficult or is always a downer.
I think keeping in mind the current and likely-to-get-worse economic situation, this advice is not misplaced. But what struck me is how unfriendly some of it is to working moms who value flexibility. More face time, less telecommuting, coming in earlier and leaving later — it’s the opposite of what most of us want to see at our workplaces.
On the flip side, when full-time workers are let go, they are often replaced with freelancers and contractors, something that might benefit working moms during an economic downturns. If you’ve been trying to figure out a way to turn your full-time job into a freelance career, this might be a great time for it (and your current employer might be your first client!)
Nobody can predict whether we’re really headed into a recession but the economy is not doing great so there will be some impact on jobs. Do you feel secure about your job or are you worried? Are you taking any steps to recession-proof your job, like following any of the advice above? Do you think this will be a good time to kick off your freelance career?
Sound off in the comments!
This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 16th, 2008 at 11:53 am and is filed under Uncategorized.
Tags: Career Talk, economy, flexibility, freelancers, full-time work, office, recession-proof your job, working mom
January 16th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
The economy is particularly bad in Michigan right now. Everyone I know is struggling financially, including us. My job is not secure - in fact, our contract is up for bid right now, so there is a very real chance that my whole department will be out of a job come June. It’s creating a lot of uncertainty, a lot of turnover (which was high to begin with) and it doesn’t help that we don’t know what will happen and probably won’t for another couple of months yet. Freelancing isn’t an option for me right now, although I wish it were!
January 17th, 2008 at 12:06 am
I had the same reaction you did to the “recession-proofing” tips. I’m already overwhelmed by work hours and trying to impress the boss. Now I have to do more???!!!
I’m not worried about losing my job. But I am worried that if we do have to downsize our staff, I’ll have to do more at work.
January 17th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
It could help me, personally; when I come back from maternity leave I intend to come back part-time if the company will let me. I think they’ll be happy to pay a smaller salary to someone who’s already fully trained and invested in the company, rather than hiring a replacement who wants more money AND requires training.
January 17th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
I think those are all important in most corporate cultures, regardless of the economic situation.
I have one other tip - starting sending email early in the morning and again late in the afternoon/evening. I swear, it changes perceptions that you are working longer hours than others.
Instead of coming earlier and leaving later, I say just beat the boss. If you are already at your desk when your boss walks in or are still at your desk when they leave for the day, I think that can make a big difference.
After all my years in the corporate world, I think that it is hard to change your reputation over night. If you are known for being a slacker, suddenly coming into work and sitting on more calls with your boss isn’t going to instantly “recession-proof” your job.
The email suggestion is a GREAT one! When I was in consulting we’d set our emails to go out to our bosses at midnight:) And you know what? It worked.
-Nataly
January 17th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
I really agree the economic downturn can be viewed as a mixed bag for working moms, instead of entirely a bad thing. Sadly, the demands of traditional employers on working moms don’t seem to be changing very fast - witness the explosion in numbers of working moms setting out on their own with small home-based businesses and as contracters. What can we do but continue down this very road - and make the recession work for us instead of against us?