On Staying Employed

On Staying Employed

IMG_0016Imagine the best experiences – two weeks in Singapore with husband and children, celebrating a promotion with family at a restaurant, acquiring a new iPhone – these are memories for some and dreams for others. And yet, the means, the job, through which the experiences are actualized, is usually taken for granted.

Staying employed is a fulltime enterprise, much like making a relationship work. To keep a job would mean taking on responsibilities that may be new to fresh graduates and to those who just landed their first professional engagement.

Here are five essentials for new and old employees to avoid getting a pink slip:

  1. It is not to be taken lightly. For some companies, it is the measure of a worker’s commitment to the job. If one is always on time, the employee considers time as a valuable commodity for the both business and himself.
  2. Issues related to the business must be discussed with managers or supervisors, avoid the tendency to make anything personal. Practical approaches to a problem prevent escalation. Some new workers and even ancient ones are slighted when manager and colleagues makes reference to a particular task. It is important to keep in mind that focus is required for work to be done and being an employee means work comes first.
  3. Certain behaviors such as rudeness or smoking may be unacceptable to some. Looking at it with the larger picture in mind, evaluate its effect before taking offense. Being pleasant towards someone with negative attitude or who smokes will not make anyone less of a person. A solution is always available; the trick is to find it.
  4. Ask questions. It is always best to ask questions when in doubt. It is one sure way to stay on the right track whether it concerns project management or company policies.
  5. Working together, with three or four people, towards a common goal is a constant in an office setting, both in real or virtual time. An example in the real world could be getting a car out of a bog and all passengers get out to give it a push. In the virtual world, it is important to have seamless transitions when working in eight-hour shifts.

It takes time to make dreams come true. But more important, it takes conscious, focused effort at work to breathe life to any dream.

Written by Yoli P. – The Help