There Goes My Job

There’s a guy on one of the message pages of of an investment board that goes from forum to forum warning that huge layoffs are coming to the employees of the companies that have recently be “purchased” by another company.  This guy is vicious.  He does it to stir people up, and he does a good job.  Unfortunately for the those on the forums — they feed into the anxiety of job cuts.  Unfortunately the guy’s got a point, but a lot of job losses are happening as a result of how people are handling the “acquisitions”. 

I’m experiencing that situation now.  My company  was “bought” by a bigger company.  We are now all waiting to see what happens next.  Unfortunately, no one knows, not even the buying company.  They are sitting with two companies where morale has just gone down the tubes, expenses out the roof, and mass confusion as to how to restructure to make them more profitable.  They need to keep a “lean” organization, and that means there is a lot of waste (duplicate everything) once the companies are combined.

What bothers me the most is the cut-throat attitude of my coworkers. They are not part of the elite management that has signed multi million settlements with the acquisition, and their unrest has been fueled with creating havoc in order to save their job.  I’ve worked in lots of companies, and this is not the first “acquisition” I’ve been through.  But, this is the roughest I’ve experienced in the day-to-day waiting period until the deal is done.

There are people that are actually costing the company money by creating negative, expensive, and unproductive situations.  They tout “doomsday” and they anticipate that they can “rescue” us from the same situation that they created. Sort of like the fireman who starts the fires so that he can look like a hero when he’s called to put them out.  The sad part is, no one is really watching… they are doing all that destruction, and the decision makers at the acquiring company really don’t know about it, or don’t care. 

So, these are my reminders to the employees of these companies, waiting for the big guys to make their final moves:

1. Calm Down.  The stress is unbearable on a good day.  We’re all in the same boat, and no matter what you do today… it’s too late.   The decisions makers already know about you from your history.  You only make yourself miserable by stressing about the unknown, making outrageous decisions and taking irresponsible actions.  If you think it doesn’t affect those around you (or you just don’t care), be careful.  Your actions will come back to bite you.
2. Get Productive.  A lot of people have asked… why bother getting productive?  “We’re only going to lose our jobs tomorrow”.  Perhaps if you stay focused on what you know you can do today, you will get noticed for your continuous productivity.
3. Work for the Moment.  Realize you have a job today.  Your employer is not paying your for your future service, they are paying you for what you do right now.  You have a job… do it. 
4. Make a Decision for You.    Some people just can’t sit around and wait to see what happens.  It’s human nature to lose patience, and yes there are days when you will panic.  Create a Plan A to stick around until you see where the chips fall.  But have a plan B ready to roll in case you decide to walk out the door tomorrow.  There are lots of opportunities out there (no matter what the news mongrels tell you).  Look at your life differently, and see what would really make you happy.
5. Be Happy – Focus on the Good.  You could be sad, but it doesn’t doing you any good, and it doesn’t look good either. Don’t play the martyr… just enjoy what you’ve got for the moment.  As much as you plan for the future, the truth is, you don’t know where you will be in the future.   Learn to live in the moment and enjoy where you are.
6. Stop the Gossip and Speculation.  Face it… you probably don’t know what is going to happen, and all the loose talk with no truth just deflates everyone around you, including you.    What you think might happen, probably won’t.  If you want to spend your time talking, keep it positive, and start networking.  People can get pretty creative when they work together to get to their “Plan B”.
7. Take Your Time. For some reason it’s human nature for us to think if we rush through things, jump the gun, and make a flurry of activity (typically useless activity) that the end decisions will come quicker.  Don’t count on it.  If you go too fast, you might miss some very important things going on around you.  Don’t jump overboard because you were moving too fast.
8. Take Care of Yourself.  While you are surrounded by a lot of people that appear to be in the same situation, remember that you are an individual.  Remember to take care of yourself physically and mentally.  When the pressure gets tough and it starts affecting you — please step back and be sure to take care of you.  If you need to take time off to regroup and get mentally and physically charged again, do so.  Stress is a killer — don’t be its victim.
9. Put it into Perspective. Remember, it’s a big world out there.  You may have worked in your job for a long time and you might have forgotten that there are a lot of companies and people out there that do things differently.  Just because this is happening to you and people tell you that it’s “happening everywhere”, don’t take it literally.  There are still opportunities and possibilities that you haven’t explored.  While your job might be ending, it world is not. 
10. When you take it Home, Vent it and Dump it.  Your anxiety, stress and uncertainty will follow you home.  If you have someone to vent to, do so, but warn them first.  Vent, but limit yourself to 10 minutes.  What doesn’t fit it that time frame should be dumped.  If you live alone, scream for 30 seconds (it really is a long time)… then dump it.  Watch TV, go for a walk, play with your kids, cook something, visit friends or family, go out for drinks or coffee, and look around you.  That’s life.  You work to pay the bills and to help you enjoy the life you have. 

Work to live…. don’t live to work.