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| Jane Genova |
The proposed merger between Omnicom and Interpublic likely signaled to the employees of both that their jobs were in danger. When there’s consolidation in the same industry, the Harvard Business Review documents that 30 percent of the positions will be designated redundant. Also in play are jobs in businesses which are restructuring, experiencing revenue declines, using RIFs as a cost-efficiency tool and, because of client demand, operating more with AI.
With this as the new usual, at least for a long while, there’s a shift in focus from an obsession with careers to sustaining making a good living. The future of work could be simply getting, holding and moving on to better work.
How to do that now that so many organizations—private, non-profit and government—are in chaos or headed there, with so much job churn?
Getting smart about jobs can be boiled down to nine commonsense strategies.
Digging around, getting ahead of the glut. McKinsey says the burden’s on you to size up that a problem is developing. You have to sleuth around for the right data—financial, personnel, technical—and then connect the dots. Can your company handle the headwinds?
Based on that, you could decide to begin a job search before the market is gutted with those having your skill set. During The Great Recession, lawyers who waited to be laid off entered a glut situation in legal services and some were unable to make it back into the legal sector because of the stigma back then of being forced out.
Having air cover. Decisions about terminations are usually subjective and fluid. Often your job is saved, even after it had been eliminated, because a power player advocates for you. Most organizations in professional services such as public relations are highly political.
Ask that protector for guidance on what you should do and not do during transitions. Make it explicit how you will repay them. That dynamic goes by the networking term “The Favor Bank.” The operating principle is to make more deposits than withdrawals.
Helping your managers succeed. A tough bit of growing up is realizing that you can’t afford to dislike or be critical of direct superiors. The vibes signal that. Because most businesses remain hierarchical, they will be the first to be consulted about your performance and loyalty.
Your mission is to make the managers successful, preferably promotable. The rumor that they’re being fired? Appear to remain loyal. To build productive work relationships a useful guide is the classic on human relations “How to Make Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie.
Not being in the wrong place. Turmoil brings on increased scrutiny. That can be in your favor if, as Indeed recommends, you seize opportunities to be associated with projects that are quick wins—or at least are showcased that way. Yes, suggest them or volunteer if they are available. Perception, as everyone in communications knows, counts a lot.
It could be career suicide to be saddled with initiatives going nowhere, especially if they are expensive. They’re first on the chopping block. Figure out how to smoothly exit. A common tactic is to overload yourself with other work which has powerful sponsors. They could get you released.
In addition, research what new skills the organization needs and learn them.
Detaching, without seeming to detach. A fundamental of success, although it’s rarely acknowledged, is to not be overly attached to the tasks, the organization, the people, the products and the services. That is the breeding ground for lack of perspective, triggering everything from errors of judgment to losing your cool. In dog-maul-dog Big Law, with calm as his signature, Paul Weiss chair Brad Karp has hung onto his job since 2008.
Sure, the Detached You will continue to do your best in initiatives and leverage emotional intelligence in interactions. But you insulate yourself from the drama, including the grapevine gossip. Anything you say can and will be held against you. Some employees are selected as “keeps” because they maintained a stable persona and kept their nose clean during crisis.
Counteracting age bias. Too well-known is the Pro Publica research that the majority of those forced out will be over 50. During 2023, the majority of the 240 Edelman laid off were seniors. Being targeted is one part of the reality of age. In addition, only 10 percent, if they find jobs in their fields, will get comparable compensation.
Therefore, it makes sense to make it your business to hang on to what you've got. Be as enthusiastic, energetic, confident, bubbling with appropriate ideas and eager to take on stretch projects as younger generations.
Preventing the need for career change. The law of supply and demand has become unforgiving. Old-line media relations, for example, is rarely a priority in an organization—or in the overall market. Before that happened the pros in that niche should have developed expertise which is in demand. In the 2024 book “Nobody Cares About Your Career,” former Barstool Sports CEO Erika Ayers Badan decries how easy it is to get stuck doing what you do so well, which can then become unmarketable.
Keep updating skills in your field since, as I detail in this article, career change can be a brutal ordeal, not the adventure of a fresh start.
Lobbying for a package. Okay, you don’t want to continue working for income. The usual way to retirement severance is to position yourself as a hero. You inform the deciders that you will give up your job so someone who needs one can have it. Before that, consult an employment lawyer about what you should request in the package. If you’re pre-Medicare, healthcare insurance is critical. Most personal bankruptcies result from medical bills.
Getting the lessons down cold. This is the major must. Being immersed in the turmoil should be teaching lessons in how leaders and employees manage or mismanage themselves during transitions.
Chaos has become the new normal. On professional anonymous network Reddit Public Relations there are too many posts about being laid off multiple times. Having been through one M&A or one massive layoff should give you an edge for the rest of your life in jobs or contract assignments.
In iconic career guide “What Color Is Your Parachute” the meme is that the person hired generally isn’t the best qualified. It’s the one best at job search. Likewise, the people who maintain financial security in the continually mutating labor market are the best at sizing up what is happening or going to happen in their work niche, deciding to hold or fold and how to do that. Don’t rule out, as Ayers Baden advises, taking a step back to gain access to where there’s growth, as the media relations pros should have done.
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Jane Genova specializes in coaching seniors and creating their work-related communications. Visit her Substack column JaneGenovasubstack.com/@semiretirement and popular blog https://thesemiretirementoption.blogspot.com/. Complimentary consultations. For an appointment text 203-468-8579, [email protected]. Sliding scale fees.
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