Do Layoffs Fix Anything, or Do We Have Them Because Everyone Else is Doing It?

Do Layoffs Fix Anything, or Do We Have Them Because Everyone Else is Doing It?

ByMike McBride Reading Time: 6 minutes

Take a hard look at what leaders are saying about layoffs and what they focus on. Do they seem personally hurt and concerned for the people leaving? Do they have honest and transparent explanations for why they made these decisions? Or do they repeat platitudes about “recession,” costs, and other bits of financial jargon to explain away something so painful to the same people they were calling part of the family a week ago?

Families don’t cut the number of kids when money gets tight. Your workplace is not a family and does not deserve a level of commitment that matches your family or your health. Layoffs are sometimes necessary, but mostly just a nice tool to perk up the value of a company for a specific part of the structure or to make up for mistakes made by the same people making these job cuts.

That’s business. I’ve argued for years that business has a vested interest in employee well-being. Caring about your people is how you get their best. I hope leaders will continue to grow in that regard, but as an individual employee, you need to care about yourself more. If your job isn’t meeting your career needs in terms of money, development, or work-life balance, find a better one. You owe them nothing. They pay you to do a job until they decide not to. You owe them that work.

That is all.

Linked – Research: Where Managers and Employees Disagree About Remote Work

Linked – Research: Where Managers and Employees Disagree About Remote Work

ByMike McBride Reading Time: 2 minutes

They point out a hypothetical situation where the employee looks at their “work” day to include the commute and maybe some other time, but the manager isn’t. That’s a huge disconnect. Speaking for myself, I will never volunteer to go back to an in-office or even a hybrid position because of how much time you spend going back and forth and the limiting factor of needing to be in that place for the entire time in between. Why? If the work can get done from anywhere, why would we expect anyone to spend so much time going somewhere else every day?

What if Everyone Has Imposter Syndrome?

What if Everyone Has Imposter Syndrome?

ByMike McBride Reading Time: 1 minute

That’s quite a short list of really successful people who all felt the same way you and I feel. Like we don’t really know what we’re doing, or that eventually someone will find out that we don’t belong. 

So, the next time you think you don’t belong, remember that you’re in good company with that feeling, and go on anyway. 

Linked – Skills, Skills, Skills

Linked – Skills, Skills, Skills

ByMike McBride Reading Time: 1 minute

I’ve said it before, but let me repeat it. Regarding technology, what you learned in college is probably pointless within 2-3 years. What you did at work 5-10 years ago is useless. Continuous learning and upskilling are not optional. Talking about skills-based hiring is a new trend, but it’s the trend that made sense even before it became popular. Your degrees and resume don’t matter nearly as much as what you can do right now and what you can learn going forward.

This is the business world we live in now. There is no cushy job where you can do the same thing in the same place for 30 years. That’s ancient history, and our career plans and hiring practices must match the current reality.

If You Have to Constantly Remind People You’re a Leader, You’re Probably Not

If You Have to Constantly Remind People You’re a Leader, You’re Probably Not

ByMike McBride Reading Time: 3 minutes

My hypothesis, and the reason for my list above, is that leaders don’t talk about being leaders any more than brilliant people talk about being smart or kind people talk about being kind. They just do it, and it shows. Leaders set the example, help others succeed, and solve problems. They share credit and take the blame. They are constantly learning from others instead of setting themselves apart. People follow them because of those characteristics. These are people you want to follow. They don’t have to raise a flag and beg people to follow them any more than the most intelligent people have to remind you of how smart they are. Their actions show it.