Long Hours
I have spent the entire weekend at home working on two projects that are due Monday morning. This is not any different than a lot of other people, and I am not looking for any sympathy. My wife, who normally works half-time, or 20 hours per week, has also been averaging almost 40 hours per week for the past 3 weeks. She has to put in a full day at our son’s school each week, as well, so doubling her work hours is not easy. I am wondering, how many people are working longer hours because they are worried about losing their jobs.
During a recession, the fear of losing one’s job can be very real. More companies are cutting back due to reductions in revenue. And losing one’s job during a recession or “downturn” in the economy is no picnic.
To keep from becoming a layoff statistic, a worker must make sure they are an important asset to their company. Sometimes this means working longer hours, sometimes this means working smarter and being more organized. Sometimes it means making sure your skills are not only up-to-date, but also better than the other people around you.
There are several ways to make yourself indispensable.
Take charge of a project that is in need of a manager. You do have to make sure you are capable of managing the project before taking it on. There is nothing worse than failing when you are managing a project.
Read books and journals that are applicable to your job. Hopefully you enjoy your job enough that learning more about it is not too difficult. You should always strive to keep your knowledge current.
Attend classes or seminars. Many companies will pay tuition for advanced training. The training might be technical, or it could be managerial. This is not only good for your career, but depending on the class, can also be fun. Some years ago, our company paid for classes is using organizational tools, like those from Franklin Covey. I may need a refresher, since I am feeling a bit disorganized right now.
Put in the long hours when you have to. This kind of goes without saying, but extra work that is accompanied by actually delivering on or ahead of schedule, always looks good and helps the bottom line.
Doing what you must to keep yourself indispensable is critical, but after the work and the long hours are over, try to dedicate some time to your family.
Stumble it!
The 156th Carnival of Personal Finance: Songs of Summer | Prime Time Money:
[...] from Save and Conquer presents Long Hours, and says, “To keep from becoming a layoff statistic, a worker must make sure they are an [...]
9 June 2008, 4:38 amLise:
Maybe I’m just a skeptic, or maybe I’ve worked for the wrong companies, but I have not noticed a correlation between job efficiency and actual career success. In the companies I’ve worked for, the bottom line has been the only concern, and one is better off a free agent, not hinging your hopes and dreams on “maybe if I manage this project, I’ll be more valuable.”
23 June 2008, 8:29 amBryce:
@Lise – Thank you very much for sharing your observations. I understand that many corporations are only concerned with the immediate bottom line. Often this can lead to inefficiencies, as we have all seen in excess meetings and managers who do not understand their jobs or product.
I was speaking from my own perspective. I have seen that the more efficient people have been advanced further in my company, and they make more money. They are the ones who can successfully manage two or more projects at a time. Taking on a project that no one was managing, and then turning that into a corporate competency helped my career. It is that sort of thing that has gotten me “noticed.”
23 June 2008, 10:18 am