"Swoosh” means “to make or move with a rushing sound; to discharge or transport hurriedly.” In employment settings, it is a disturbing and felt economic sound that disrupts family life and puts some communities in a shambles. Recent swoosh-generated newspaper headlines are these:
“Airbus cuts 10,000 jobs in revamp”
“Gasoline prices on rise”
“Ford to shed 28% of North American work force,” and “Ford to close 14 plants”
“ABN to cut 900 positions in North America”
“UPS to offer incentives to trim 650 employees”
“Dupont to cut 1,500 agriculture jobs”
Today’s competitive job markets produce moments of anxiety for workers due to job-related swoosh factors (pink slips, business mergers, etc.) that are not going to abate anytime soon. Indications are that employment layoffs will intensify and increase in severity in the United States.
In light of this, there are three questions workers will have to present themselves. First, what will be my immediate and long-term response to industry layoffs? Second, do I possess economic safety nets to maintain economic order due to a relatively long job layoff? Third, what might I do to prevail economically during a period of employment uncertainty?
Young workers today know all too well there is a new attitude relative to employment conditions. Unlike their parents and grandparents, they realize they must fend for themselves in good and bad economic conditions. But people who are five to 15 years shy of retirement will endure unimaginable discomfort if they have to float through severe unemployment downturns. Here are five suggestions for positioning soft landings when job-related swoosh factors occur:
1. The infamous pink slip is not targeted to any industry; it is alive in most industries.
2. Prepare for economic downturns by putting educational platforms in order. If the high school diploma has not been earned, seek immediate assistance through an adult education program and prep to earn a GED. Persons with the high school diploma will be better off and in full career mode if they possess an associate degree in some of the viable technical fields.
3. Zigzag in current job settings. Become job savvy relative to responsibilities of those around you. Advance yourself with job-related determination, grit and smartness.
4. Avoid being like former textile and factory workers who incorrectly assumed their jobs would last forever ... in some form or fashion. Those jobs are gone, and will not return.
5. Make strong observations about the chances of job-related survival due to numerous U.S. companies outsourcing jobs to Vietnam, China, India, Mexico and elsewhere. Move from one job to the next one on the basis of being a survivalist rather than a casualty.
Peter Drucker, the late management guru, said in an interview with Elizabeth Hass Endershiem: “Individuals are now in charge of their own progress. Knowledge workers have responsibility for developing their most important resource – brain power – and need to take more control of their careers. In the 21st century, every man (and woman) is not so much a king as a CEO of his own career.” Have a definitive plan in response to job-related swoosh factors.
Columnist Howard D. Hill, Ph.D., is president & CEO of Associates in Education. He may be reached via email at educationconsultant@sc.rr.com.
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