How to Keep Your Job When the Economy Suffers

Summary: Your value as an employee will determine if you get cut or make it through hard times at the company. Learn how to enhance your value.

Being able to show you are a vital part of the workforce is important when the economy or company finances take a turn for the worse. Here are eight ways to increase your value at work.

1. Keep things simple – Don’t be focused on brown-nosing your boss in order to keep your job. Instead, focus on the basics like being on time to work, meeting deadlines, and following through on promises. You want your reputation to be that you are dependable and necessary, not a suck-up.
2. Help others – Take care of your goals first but don’t seek out to ruin those of others. The time when jobs are on the line is not the time to sabotage or become selfish. Helping others succeed may help you succeed with them and show you are a team player.
3. Stick to your strengths – Now is not the time to take on a big project that you have no idea how to do. Focus on what you do best so that your expertise stands out as being valuable. Being exceptional in one area is better than being mediocre at several.
4. Solve problems without pointing blame – Pointing out mistakes that coworkers make doesn’t solve the problem and there is a good chance everyone already knows about the mistake anyways. If you do point out the problem, have a solution already in place. This will increase trust and camaraderie between everyone in the office.
5. Speak up for yourself – Don’t be afraid to brag a little about your contributions to a project. Don’t be excessive about this and shove it in everyone’s faces, but you can point it out during the appropriate times, like during your annual review.
6. Keep balance – A work life balance is necessary to keep your happiness in check. Being stressed because you work a crazy amount of hours to prove your worth to the company will also show in the form of bags under your eyes and a testy temperament. Balanced employees show the company that they have their priorities straight.
7. Don’t always say “yes”- When a promotion is thrown your way with more responsibilities but no increase in salary, you don’t have to say yes. If the new title will greatly improve your career then it may be worth it but if you clearly deserve higher compensation for such a large position, you are undermining your value.
8. Negotiate – Going along with number 7, negotiate for a promotion or raise. Knowing what you are worth is valuable. A company that values you as an employee will understand what you are worth to them.

Photo: peterbregman.com