LAYOFFS AND FEELINGS

We've been through 8 years of quarterly layoffs at my place of work. I saw friends get hit last week and am waiting for the round in December to see if I get taken out or have a job going into 2010. Then in 2010, I will see how far I last. For years I have continued to do righ by my company, by my customers, continued to work smart, smile and do my very best. Last year, due to lack of people, I put in over 500 non paid overtime hours for free. I am just a worker bee. But watching all of this play out, I had a thought, which makes me feel much better about things and maybe it helps you.

What if, at your company, the CEO, and all the top execs, upper management folks etc, were to just *poof* evaporate one day and not show up to work? What would happen to your company? My guess is the company would continue on, with all the daily business needs being met. Direction at the top could always be hired later, but the business of the day, the orders, implementations, AR, AP, billing and Customer Service functions would all still happen because the people who know what to do, and know where they are with things, would all still be there to do it. Thanks to the worker bee!

Now let's imagine that the CEO and Execs are all still there, but you are not. Imagine every lower manager and all staff *poof* evaporate, right now. What then? My hunch is the business would fold in on itself in less than 48 hours. Work would grind to a screeching halt, with no way to compensate adequately for all the balls right and left being dropped. A company could not survive it. Neither would the CEO and Execs. They don't know how to do what you do and there are not enough of them to get the daily business accomplished.

Now who's really all that important?

Greed is still very much alive in America and it will be our undoing if we cannot relearn how to love our fellow man, take less for ourselves and share. One of my buddies at another company was recetly let go so his upper management could get their bonuses.

I've not had a raise in 3 years and I am ok. I have friends who've taken pay cuts and they still have the same house and car and food on the table. Many of us could take less. Our business leaders could show us all by example if they took paycuts and nixed their bonuses. Or do what Lee Iacocca did and waive an annual salary perhaps.

If you have a job now, save as much as you can and plan as best as you can and contemplate next steps. Do the best work you can do and be proud of what you contribute. This is all you are in control of. And when the ax falls, extend grace under pressure, knowing that all things end, all things change and sometimes something must end in order to create a new beginning.

Whatever dollar figure is currently placed on your head today, when your company is looking to let you go, you can take pride in the fact you have directly helped to build and sustain both your company and the salaries and bonuses your upper guys are getting today. YOU did that. If you do your job correctly, there really isn't anybody working where you do that is more important than you are. If you have done your job with excellence and dilligence, your value is priceless. The fact this may not be recognized by someone laying you off is their karma and not your problem. With faith and balance, you will move on and find your gold elsewhere, you will also sleep good at night.