Sure, you’re grateful that you still have a job.
But you’re also feeling overworked, stressed out and anxious about the future. Here’s what to do to keep your job and your sanity: Demonstrate your added value.
Ask yourself, “How do I contribute to the company’s bottom line?” says Connie Podesta, author of How To Be The Person Successful Companies Fight To Keep.
“How you respond says a lot about how your company sees you,” said Podesta. “If you say, ‘I’m just a receptionist,’ why would your company see you differently?”
Podesta said now is the time to come up with ideas and action plans that are tied to the financial stability and growth of the company.
Be sure to blow your own horn, she said. Some companies are so big that your hard work could go unnoticed.
Network inside the company. The person making future layoff decisions may not be your immediate manager, said Brad Karsh of JobBound.com.
To him or her, you may simply be a name on a sheet of paper. Or that senior person may have met you once and it was a day you weren’t looking your best, he said.
“If you happen to know that senior VP, that could be the difference in you staying or going,” he said.
Work smart, not necessarily harder.
Companies don’t necessarily fire slackers first, said Michael Barr of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. They are often looking to cut positions rather than people.
If you are feeling overworked, collaborate with your supervisor to make your duties more manageable. Perhaps there are things you are doing that are not adding value to the organization, he said.
Be strategic about taking on extra work.
“If you are going to work harder, do something that’s going to have an impact on your career,” he said.
