The belt tightens

Somebody said: “I’m planning to retire and live off my savings. What I’ll do the second day, I have no idea.”

Another person looked sad and started talking to his friend.

He says to this friend, “I’m a walking economy.”

The friend replies “How so?”

“My hair line is in recession, my stomach is a victim of inflation, and both of these together are putting me into a deep depression!”

What used to be funny lines seem to be realities for many people today in the wake of massive business closures and job layoffs.

There is a great sense of anxiety and uncertainty besetting people who in the work place.

Belt tightening of course is the theme of the day.

Expect changes to happen.

What amazes me is that I still come across people who are as clueless as to what is happening they are still complaining about their jobs, about their bosses and about their pay. Wake up! Life is tough but it’s tougher on people who are clueless.

Expect the following and make some adjustments:

1. No more coffee and doughnuts

There will be lesser perks. Do not complain.

Now for those of you who were never provided these freebies before then this means you will not be affected as much. The point I am making here is that there will be lesser perks. The celebrations may be scaled down. The yearly company summer outings will have to be rescheduled to next year or…. here is the one thing you do not want to hear…this year’s bonuses may no longer be given…… Understand that sacrifices have to be made in order to ride out the economic storm so don’t complain. If you allow these cost-cutting measures to affect your mood and make you a negative person then you will be the one who will lose I can assure you.

2. More work lesser pay?

You bet. Do not complain.

Many companies today are reducing headcount and “Freeze Hiring” is the call of the day. It is a certainty that you would be asked to take on additional work. You may even be required to go through additional training and you won’t be paid overtime. This is not the time to say, “But it’s not in my job description…” So take this opportunity to show you are willing to learn new skills. The more skills you have the more valuable you are to the company and so it’s not a bad deal after all. You may also want to identify tasks that can either be delegated or put on hold while you tackle any extra duties you’ve been assigned.

3. Move up while others get off.

You may be brought to another position. Do not complain.

I know for a fact that times like these force companies to look internally to fill up open positions so they could reduce the cost of recruiting new talent. So while others are leaving because they are not happy with the new arrangements or maybe they opted to take the package, this becomes an opportunity for you to advance within your organization. Explore. Discover. Find out about open positions then talk to your boss regarding posts that interest you so they can consider you as a candidate.

Many businesses need to let people go. This is a sad reality. But you can look at this as an opportunity too. Changes happening within your organization may offer you opportunities to build marketable skills. The same changes may likewise prepare you for future advancements.

Be still trust God. He is still in control.

Be positive. Work fast, work hard, work smart, be flexible and show them that you are a reliable person who can deal with any challenges that comes your way.

(Attend “I’m Inspired” The Seminar – featuring James Lafferty, Butch Jimenez, Anthony Pangilinan and Francis Kong on April 2 9am-5:30pm at the Rockwell Cinema. Call 6872614 or 09278511115 for further inquiries)