Navigating your print career in stormy seas is stressful. We’re in uncharted territory, and there are no guarantees that any career plan is going to be recession-proof. But you do need a job retention plan. Below, I’ve laid out strategic ways to go about protecting your job. Then, I’ll share my employment advice as a former manager in various layoff situations.
ELEMENTS OF A JOB-RETENTION PLAN
Let’s discuss the traditional ways to protect your print career and job.
Be someone who people enjoy being around. All things being equal, managers retain likeable people during layoffs. As the cliché goes, be the person others “know, like, and trust” across all stages of your print career.
Don’t let yourself be compared to anyone else. When a company goes through layoffs, the first step is to eliminate redundancy. If you can be easily replaced or eliminated, fix that immediately. Make it a lifelong rule to be unique and have the job skills companies value.
Make sure decision makers know who you are. If you’re unsure how to do this, connect with me on LinkedIn, and I’ll walk you through it.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH LAYOFFS
When I graduated from college, it was a period of high inflation (mortgage rates were over 18%). The business climate was turbulent, and college grads were a dime a dozen due to a nationwide population boom the year I was born. We were out en masse, and jobs were scarce.
I went through print and media layoffs as an employee seven times – some with multiple rounds – and survived all but two of them.
My print career retention strategy was to be extremely capable at my job, uniquely valuable to the company, ready and able to step in where needed, and on the radar of decision makers. I tried to get promoted as soon as possible after joining a company and getting into the management ranks.
As I moved into management, I saw how layoffs work from the company side and incorporated those lessons into my print career plan as well.
JOB RETENTION FROM THE MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE
Here’s what I learned as a manager and division head.
First, tell your manager you love your role but would be willing to change jobs if it meant you could stay with the company.
As a division head, I worked with all the managers on cost-cutting, corporate reshuffling, and layoffs. If I knew employees were willing to change departments, I could mention it during our restructuring process.
Second, if layoffs are looming, be careful about what you say and who you hang out with. Don’t gossip, speculate about other people’s jobs, vent in scary ways, or associate yourself with backstabbers and unethical ladder-climbers who repeat and twist what you say.
From a manager’s perspective, if you are destructive to morale or distracting people from getting work done, you’ll have a target on your back at layoff time. Managers have to make sure the work gets done, even during layoffs, and many are worried about their jobs.
Third, don’t get starry-eyed about severance packages. Employers use glitzy severance packages with early deadlines to speed through the first round of layoffs – and cause the second-round targets to panic.
It’s a tactic. Don’t fall for it.
In my jobs, if I wanted to stay, I strapped on my armor, clamped my mouth shut, and tried to stay healthy and rested. Multiple rounds of layoffs are brutal, and I know many of you have been through that.
Get a second job. It’s a win-win. You earn extra money or gain volunteer experience. You meet new people. You learn new skills. You stay so busy that you can (hopefully) sleep at night instead of worrying.
When my boss announced his retirement, I applied for his job. My company dragged its feet, so I took a weekend job (a prestigious one) and told my employer about it. Lo and behold, our company president called to offer me the promotion.
DON’T WAIT TO IMPLEMENT YOUR PLAN
When the world is chaotic, everything seems overwhelming. Having a retention plan may not save your job, but it may save your print career. Hang in there.
If I can be of help, please connect with me. Stay strong, my print friends!
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Check out last month’s post: Try This Easy Self-Audit to Rev Up Your Print Sales Engine Now
Sandy Hubbard is a Growth Strategist and Marketing Advisor specializing in Print, Media, and B2B Tech. She helps print companies improve in all areas — but especially sales and marketing — so they stand above the crowd. Sandy is the host of #PrintChat, a weekly global gathering of the industry’s most influential thinkers and leaders. A proud member of Girls Who Print, Sandy is the 2022 recipient of the coveted Girlie Award.
Connect with Sandy on LinkedIn.
