the fortunate

Over the last year many friends and business associates have been laid off, fired, let go or whatever the politically correct term is for losing your job. Some have been found new positions while many others still struggle to find a new opportunity. 

Of course in most cases we'd all prefer to be retained, especially in this economy, even if you don't love your job. It's good for the ego and better for the bank account. In the year where the mantra is "lower the overhead", the ones who bear an unspoken burden are the so called "fortunate".

The fortunate are rewarded with greater work load for the same pay, or less. The other perk is living with the anxiety of potentially being the next one on the list. The hardest part may be the lack of control of knowing that job security can't be solely earned through performance but rather the number their salary represents on a spreadsheet. It's heart wrenching to hear both the tales of those let go, those who remain and those who are in the unenvious position to make the hard decision of who stay and who goes. 

The biggest problem I see is the lay offs are merely cost cutting measures without any strategy behind them. Clients cut their budgets but still want the same level of service just for less. Its a hard position because if you don't continue to service your clients as you have in the past, albeit with less resources, someone else will. 

We get this all the time in production. We are asked to lose money out of budget but without consequence. If we bid it out for 100k more than the agency is willing to spend, we try to find solutions to lower the number. Often those solutions require creative compromises. They are accepted as long as the number on a piece of paper matches. The problem occurs when the concessions aren't honored. It creates either a contentious situation or financial loss, and some times both. 

As I see it the situation of cutting people while placing more work on those that remain and still providing the same client service isn't sustainable for any prolonged period. As the economy has moved away from the abyss toward a new reality, the organization structure, client expectatioins and the business models must begin to adapt. I'm sure many are in the midst of this process as the new year begins. I hope as they evolve they appreciate the fortunate.