Management Information

Tales From The Corporate Frontlines: Job Security in Todays Workplace


This article, Job Security in Today's Workplace, is part of AlphaMeasure's compilation, Tales from the Corporate Frontlines. It tells the story of a manager who decides to look for ways to bolster the morale in his company when it crashes after an extensive layoff.

Anonymous Submission

I've worked for the same company for ten years now. At the end of last year, we reorganized, and in the process, over 10% of the workforce was terminated. In the wake of the layoffs, morale hit an all time low. My colleagues in upper management were becoming especially depressed. Every meeting I attended began with a discussion about low morale and productivity, complete with a round table of horror stories to illustrate the nightmare.

Our company couldn't afford to see this happen---we'd just restructured out of financial necessity.

Sick of hearing the horror stories and dire predictions for the company's future, I decided to do a little research; I was sure that I could find at least one solution to the declining morale problem. At the next staff meeting, I'd pass what I learned along to my colleagues. The big question was: What could the company do to heal the hard feelings created by the layoffs and restore a sense of security? Here are some of the answers I found by reading through magazine articles, newspapers, websites, etc.:

* First of all---be honest with our employees. They are smart enough to know that NO employer is going to issue a written guarantee of job security for any length of time. Employers that address the future dishonestly only fuel more feelings of mistrust and insecurity.

* Encourage employees to take advantage of available company sponsored training. A broad based skills set makes them more adaptable to changing conditions and more valuable to the company.

* Empower employees by encouraging individual responsibility. When they feel that they are making a real contribution, employees are more confident and worry less about job security.

* Encourage networking. If by chance the worst does come to pass, employees can build a safety net by keeping in touch with business associates, sales reps, suppliers---all professionals in their field who may become valuable contacts later on.

* Provide a means of record keeping. People rarely update their resumes unless they are forced to use them. Find a way to help employees keep record of new skills mastered, courses, seminars and workshops completed, so that this information is accurate and close at hand if needed.

My colleagues were happy to finally have some answers, and agreed to work with their people to bolster the morale in their departments. Although some of the recommendations seemed harsh, we all saw the reality of the situation--- it's a different kind of workplace----and helping our employees to deal with that reality is the best way we can provide the job security they need.

© 2005 AlphaMeasure, Inc. - All Rights Reserved

This article may be reprinted, provided it is published in its entirety, includes the author bio information, and all links remain active.

Measure. Report. Improve your organization with AlphaMeasure employee surveys.

Josh Greenberg is President of AlphaMeasure, Inc.

AlphaMeasure provides organizations of all sizes a powerful web based method for measuring employee satisfaction, determining employee engagement, and increasing employee retention.

Launch your employee surveys with AlphaMeasure.


MORE RESOURCES:

Los Angeles Times

Risk Management Needed for Energy Loan Guarantees, Report Says
Bloomberg
The US Energy Department's loan programs may end up losing $2.7 billion, less than the agency or Congress projected, according to an independent analysis sought by the White House in response to Republican pressure. The potential long-term loss on 30 ...
Post-Solyndra review urges better energy loan managementThe Hill (blog)

all 207 news articles »


New York Times

Financial Briefing Book
Wall Street Journal
Apollo Global Management LLC's fourth-quarter profit slid 95% from a year earlier as the buyout firm's revenue slid. Apollo reported a profit of $11 million, or five cents a Class A share, down from a year-earlier profit of $206.3 million, ...
Apollo Global Management, LLC Reports Financial Results for the Fourth Quarter ...MarketWatch (press release)
Apollo Fourth-Quarter Profit Falls 66% on Market SwingsBusinessWeek
Apollo earnings fall on mark-downsReuters
Fox Business -New York Times
all 47 news articles »


Business Insider

List Of Pepsi Managers Who Have Left The Company
Business Insider
It's not news that PepsiCo has suffered a lot of management churn in the last few years, and that sales of some brands have been hurt as the company has lost its focus. But it's not until you see the list of senior brand management names who have ...
PepsiCo to Cut 8700 Jobs, Reduce Management Layers in Global Productivity DriveIndustryWeek
PepsiCo Announces Strategic Investments to Drive GrowthMarketWatch (press release)
PepsiCo Cuts Jobs, Plans Culture ChangeFINS

all 590 news articles »


Carrington Capital Management, American Home Mortgage Servicing Announce ...
MarketWatch (press release)
Resolution of Carrington Asset Holding, LLC, ET Al. Plaintiffs, v. American Home Mortgage Servicing, Inc., Defendant SANTA ANA, CA, Feb 10, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Carrington Capital Management, LLC ("Carrington"), a subsidiary of Carrington ...

and more »


Spend Management Experts Wins Supply & Demand Chain Executive Award
MarketWatch (press release)
ATLANTA, GA, Feb 10, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Spend Management Experts today announced that founder and CEO John Haber has received the Supply & Demand Chain Executive's 2012 "Pros to Know" award in the provider category.

and more »


Advanced task managers on iOS
CNET (blog)
by Jason Parker February 10, 2012 12:00 PM PST Follow @jparkerCNET There must be hundreds, if not thousands, of to-do-list management apps in the iTunes App Store, but which one should you choose? I found a couple of new task management apps recently ...

and more »


Waste Management Employee Who Works Tirelessly to Save Dogs Receives Top ...
MarketWatch (press release)
10, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- As part of its annual recognition of community service, Waste Management of Michigan/Ohio has selected Deanna West of Lake Orion, Michigan to receive its most prestigious community award as "Volunteer of the Year" ...

and more »


Schultze Asset Management Founder George Schultze Delivers Key Comments in ...
MarketWatch (press release)
10, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- George Schultze, Founder and Managing Member of Schultze Asset Management, LLC ("SAM"), was a key speaker today in Harvard Business School's Creating Value Through Corporate Restructuring course taught by Professor ...

and more »


MiamiHerald.com

Oracle to Pay $1.9B for Taleo, Extends SAP Rivalry
ABC News
Oracle Corp. is escalating its rivalry with German business-software maker SAP AG with a $1.9 billion purchase of Taleo Corp., a company that helps businesses hire and manage their employees. The proposed purchase announced Thursday extends Oracle's ...
Oracle to pay $1.9 billion for personnel software company, extends rivalry ...Washington Post
News Analysis: The Implications Of Oracle's Acquisition Of TaleoForbes
Oracle Buys Taleo for $1.9 Billion, Adds Human-Resource ToolSan Francisco Chronicle
Data Center Knowledge
all 482 news articles »


Reuters Blogs (blog)

Why Mark Zuckerberg shouldn't listen to management gurus
Reuters Blogs (blog)
Any company, in the wake of an IPO, finds itself growing new and previously-unnecessary layers of management, especially in areas like the general counsel's office, investor relations, and public relations. But for the Welches, that's not enough: extra ...
Resisting the Facebook NationMotley Fool

all 367 news articles »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006