Layoffs Aren't Personal

Surviving layoffs should not be a career goal goal. Having worked for the same company for some time, I have seen several rounds of layoffs.  Layoffs are part of the shift from a growth company to a mature company.  In the early period of a company's life, hiring occurs on a massive scale as the company builds out to meet the needs of creating the new product.

But there is always a point when further growth requires a consolidation and refactoring of the work force. This often becomes the trigger, forcing us to find new positions.

We all know that layoffs eventually come, but most of us convince ourselves otherwise.  Layoffs are a fact of life in the current market, and yet we are taken by surprise when they occur.  I have found it particularly interesting seeing the various ways people position themselves to survive the rounds of layoff.  And usually, they are the very people who suffer under the axe.

Through the years I have seen many coworkers try to make themselves indispensable when trying to survive the cut. Building kingdoms and castles to create security in the workplace is as ingrained in our psyche today, as it was in the middle ages. Most of us are invested in our work, on an emotional level. Projects become reflections of our inner selves. We make our work our baby and build walls around a project, group, or area to protect it, even from other coworkers.  

Trying to protect our area, never works.  While building a group and creating a larger organization to elevate yourself is a typical way of getting ahead, it is not in the company’s best interests and usually not useful for avoiding layoffs. Neither is the practice of keeping an air of mystery around your work.  Keeping what you do as an exotic or technically difficult task will not save your job.  Failure to document so that you are the only person that can keep a section/process alive, merely means that fewer people will depend on that black box of development or resources and they will be forced to find what they need elsewhere.   And, no matter how invested we are in our project or department, it isn’t necessarily going to be there forever.

To my knowledge, the best way to avoid a layoff is to align your knowledge with the goals of the company, aim for the prize and leave when you have contributed what you can and want to, before the need for your area falls on the wayside.  I’m not suggesting bailing from your work, but when you build something, there is a point when you step back and acknowledge that you’ve done something, it’s complete, it’s at a point that feels good. So pass it off and move on to the next goal.

Anyone who works in a way to be irreplaceable is working for their own purpose and goals and not contributing to the greater goals of the company.  This isn’t to say that the path to help the company shouldn’t help you in your career, but rather that aligning your career goals with the company is part of the hiring process, and each new project you are part of should add to the story of you.

Often, when we work to protect our employment, we expend an exhaustive, pointless effort to maintain our position. Companies need to be nimble in the current market and change course to meet the market needs. This can mean the end of your area of work, at any time. At the end of the day, love your work, do what is right for the company and your career.