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Executive Summary
With all the talk of our economy sinking into recession, it is time to
increase your productivity in the workplace to assure your position is
secure.
Mildred Cup writes about emerging trends in the workplace. She shares recent industry research in her article, Taking On More Work Can Benefit You in Tough Times.
- 68 percent of employees say it is a good time to increase workplace responsibility - up 5 percent from last year
- 50% of employees say it is a good time to look for a new job with a higher salary - down 4 percent from last year
| Author | In Response To: |
|---|---|
| Mitch Byers | Top of Thread. |
| Date Posted: | Replies: |
| 7/27/2008; 8:42 PM | |
| Enclosures: | Read Count: |
| None. | 88 |
| External Link: | |
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| Categories: | Keywords: |
| Enhancing Your Career | |
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Marketplace Reality: Working Harder AND Smarter
With all the talk of our economy sinking into recession, it is time to increase your productivity in the workplace to assure your position is secure.
Mildred Cup writes about emerging trends in the workplace. She shares recent industry research in her article, Taking On More Work Can Benefit You in Tough Times.
The article draws on the advise of several workforce experts. Dan Schawbel argues: "A regular 9-to-5 day is not enough during this recession" and adds, "If you're content on taking the easy route, you'll be replaced by someone willing to work harder."
Dan suggests two strategies to help secure your career:
Another contributor, Mark Roberts, challenges workers to "become market-driven within your company to determine exactly how to take on more work." If you are going to add two or three more hours to our work week, you need to carefully choose your priorities. Roberts suggests identifying new projects that solves an important business problem. "Hunt for problems to solve that contribute to the future of the company, which will contribute to your job security." Picking a high impact project is working harder and smarter.
Robert challenges workers to "take a small amount of money and accomplish a lot with it." This requires creativity, a strong network of go-to people and thinking like the CFO.
Another strategy for job security is to examine the work that is being outsourced. Can you do it better? This is a good time to review existing contracts to determine what can be brought back inside and what the cost savings would be for the company.
Building Value Outside the Company
While you are working harder inside the company, you have to also work harder outside the company - to build your network and your brand. In a layoff situation, a broad network that respects your expertise often makes the difference between a soft landing and a crash and burn scenario that takes months to rebound from.
Mildred Cup writes about emerging trends in the workplace. She shares recent industry research in her article, Taking On More Work Can Benefit You in Tough Times.
- 68 percent of employees say it is a good time to increase workplace responsibility - up 5 percent from last year
- 50% of employees say it is a good time to look for a new job with a higher salary - down 4 percent from last year
The article draws on the advise of several workforce experts. Dan Schawbel argues: "A regular 9-to-5 day is not enough during this recession" and adds, "If you're content on taking the easy route, you'll be replaced by someone willing to work harder."
Dan suggests two strategies to help secure your career:
- Take on more work to provide greater value
- Build a brand outside of the company in case the economy continues to slide and you are hit with a layoff
Another contributor, Mark Roberts, challenges workers to "become market-driven within your company to determine exactly how to take on more work." If you are going to add two or three more hours to our work week, you need to carefully choose your priorities. Roberts suggests identifying new projects that solves an important business problem. "Hunt for problems to solve that contribute to the future of the company, which will contribute to your job security." Picking a high impact project is working harder and smarter.
Robert challenges workers to "take a small amount of money and accomplish a lot with it." This requires creativity, a strong network of go-to people and thinking like the CFO.
Another strategy for job security is to examine the work that is being outsourced. Can you do it better? This is a good time to review existing contracts to determine what can be brought back inside and what the cost savings would be for the company.
Building Value Outside the Company
While you are working harder inside the company, you have to also work harder outside the company - to build your network and your brand. In a layoff situation, a broad network that respects your expertise often makes the difference between a soft landing and a crash and burn scenario that takes months to rebound from.