Careers sometimes get bumped off track by circumstances brought about by changes.

The appointment of a new department manager, at my former workplace, created a ripple. There were high expectations from both the side of the boss and the team because of the company’s impending reorganization. On her arrival, a long discussed policy that retirees cannot be rehired except after a year’s break from the company was implemented. It is a policy adopted by several large businesses and trepidation among staff was palpable. Each individual was concerned with the rule’s possible effect on his or her career. Non-retirees re-examined their long-term plans.  The loss of motivation, low morale, and the lack of focus were the three most common effects.

After the policy’s implementation, management took steps to reassure staff of their job security. A general assembly was scheduled to explain the diminished sales and resources. Human resource managers fielded an hour of questions and answers from the staff. A week later, it was also announced that a frequently asked questions site had been set up at the institution’s web site.

The new rule started the company on its streamlining path. Staff demanded transparency and a couple of management layers were eliminated; thus, flattening the organization. It was an ongoing process to adapt to the current culture of managing oneself and others, eliminating the traditional bosses. It removed procedures that tended to delay the disbursement of funds for field staff. Petty cash for routine expenses was made readily available.

The immediate result of the one-year break rule provided middle managers with the opportunity to lead: to present, design, and implement programs that impact a number of communities.

Long before the reorganization began, I was already in a community college learning Chinese, hoping to become fluent and teach English in China. My experience taught me to pay attention to my personal life by creating other career pathways while on the job. Uncertainty is always around the corner; a professional life can continue notwithstanding changes in management.

Written by Yoli P.- The Help