January 26th, 2009
This week’s reports say it all - in the newspapers and the online business editions; it has been a terrible week in terms of job loss in the US. According to the leading newspapers and reports the job market scenario is looking bleaker than ever. In one week itself close to 50,000 positions have been announced to be eliminated in the coming couple of months by industry giants, from the pharmaceutical to the tech to the motor industry, everyone is feeling the high pressure crunch of the economic downturn.
Here is a snapshot which we rather hoped never happened, but it is just the first month of the year and if more such weeks are in store for us; it won’t be easy wriggling out of the recession any sooner.
According to a recent report on Yahoo:
- Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. to slash 8,000 jobs
- Sprint Nextel Corp. is eliminating about 8,000 positions in the first quarter as it seeks to cut annual costs by $1.2 billion.
- Home Depot Inc., the biggest home improvement retailer in the U.S., to get rid of 7,000 jobs.
- General Motors Corp. said it will cut 2,000 jobs at plants in Michigan and Ohio due to slow sales.
- Caterpillar Inc., the world’s largest maker of mining and construction equipment, announced 5,000 new layoffs on top of several earlier actions. An additional 2,500 workers already have accepted buyout offers, and ties have been severed with about 8,000 contract workers worldwide. In addition, about 4,000 full-time factory workers already have been let go.
- Just last week, Microsoft Corp. said it will slash up to 5,000 jobs over the next 18 months.
- Intel Corp. said it will cut up to 6,000 manufacturing jobs.
- United Airlines parent UAL Corp. said it would get rid of 1,000 jobs, on top of 1,500 axed late last year.
Update: and not a good one…
I thought 50k was big enough … and then I read the CNN Money’s headlines which screams: Bloody Monday: Over 71,400 jobs lost–Seven companies announce massive job cuts in a scary start to the week.
What I was compiling here earlier in the day has been better done here. A depressing news but it is what it is now.
Since this blog is more towards turning the tide towards the positive side; let’s once again visit the previous few posts which focus on how to deal with a layoff or how to manage your career during a recession:
Post Layoff 5 Step Successful Comeback Plan
5 Essential Tips on Thriving after a Layoff
Alternatives to a Permanent Full Time Job
Going Back to College – A Good Move during Recession
Recreate and Diversify in a Recession
Managing your Career during Recession
Best Jobs to have during Recession
Learning from a Layoff – is it the Right Time to Innovate and be Independent?
Managers and employers, if you want to get the best out of your employees in these uncertain times it is time to increase productivity and keep them away from the depressing thoughts and scenes of layoffs around. Here are some good tips on the OpenForum blog : 5 Tips for More Productivity in 2009
If you have been in a layoff recently what are you doing to maintain a positive outlook and reviving your job search strategies?
Careerbright - Career Article and Information for Professionals and Working Women
Tags: a-terrible-week, close to 50, college, first, general-motors, microsoft, microsoft-corp-, network marketing, online, recession, work from home
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January 23rd, 2009
Employers can now trust remote employees more than ever before and employees have more reason to concentrate on work and avoid distractions such as spending time on personal emails or checking in on their online social network now and then. These distractions and the lack of trust is often of concern to employers when they contract the work to remote employees – whether telecommuting or working for them in another country in a different time zone.
And what enables the accountability on either side (employees or contractor/freelancers accountability of the billed time and the employer’s approval of the hours billed) is the services and products offered by oDesk.
It works well for the contractors and other remote employees who never report to the main office or those who easily get distracted when working on their own. More so, it is to the satisfaction of the employers who do not have to think twice when billed for a certain time.
If you have not heard about how
oDesk works then in a nutshell it is like having your boss peak in behind you around 6 times an hour to glance at your computer screen! Alright, alright almost everyone who hears this explanation is bound to roll his/her eyes, but what the electronic monitoring feature of
oDesk does is that it takes computer screen shots randomly six times an hour.
Invasive, micromanagement, violating.. maybe; but in the long run if it gets the employers happy and there is no fuss in handing over the money you have billed them for your assigned work; or for the employers to get work done with minimum distractions then why not? Further more, it also builds on the trust and reliance towards the remote employees.
This is one solution and I am sure there are more around and if not then sure enough some related solutions would be in the market soon. They better be because outsourcing, remote contracting jobs and telecommuting are the workplace trends of this century.
Related Posts:
I Can Work from Anywhere - Virtual Technology at the Service of the Global Workforce
Be Self Directed and Self Motivated when Working from Home
Part-time Workers Face Promotion Discrimination
8 Ways to Improve Your Work Productivity Overnight - Guest Post
Top 5 Reasons why you want to Work Part-Time
Green Habits at Workplace
Careerbright - Career Article and Information for Professionals and Working Women
Tags: a-certain-time-, accountability, career, country, general-motors, home business, microsoft, microsoft-corp-, odesk, online, recession, remote
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January 20th, 2009
Every new idea looks crazy at first.
~~ Robert Olson
Today I was reading in the newspaper an article from Mike Cassidy titled “Will Work for Interview”, how one man turns to a marketing gimmick to lure prospective employers.
It is a story about a San Francisco man who wanted a new ‘angle’ to his job search mainly because the traditional ways of job search might not be effective in an economy we are in now.
KyNam Doan has pledged 6 hours of community service for each job interview he lands. Cassidy reports in this article that he has landed 9 interviews since he started his campaign through the social networking websites and his own, but no job offer so far.
With almost 11 million Americans out of work now and more expected to join the list this year, what would be your job search strategy which grabs the attention of the employers?
And if you are thinking on
why would you share a new idea with others here…. read the quote below and then make a decision.
If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.
~~ George Bernard Shaw
Related Posts:
How is the Job Outlook for 2009?
2009 Graduates – Tips on getting Hired this year
How to Find a Job when there are none around
Layoffs and Recession - Articles from the Careerbright Blog
Careerbright - Career Article and Information for Professionals and Working Women
Tags: accountability, article, career, career-article, interview, microsoft-corp-, mike cassidy, odesk, online, outlook, remote, robert-olson, working-women
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January 17th, 2009
Maybe to beat recession we must use less of the “r” word in the media these days. The newspapers are depressing, the news online on tech and business is overflowing with the news on layoffs and recession. I know that they are reporting what is actually happening around and running away from the truth does not turn things around, but could things be made slightly better if we read some positive news and stories daily?
Today in the Business section of the newspaper, there is a positive news on the Gaming Industry (Gaming industry sees record year - people are still looking for ways to have fun), my husband was quite inspired and immediately remarked - should we buy a Wii now?
I smiled; had the news been towards negative aspect- “gaming industry hit hard by recession”, I am sure his comments would not have been the same.
Yesterday, I was outside enjoying the gorgeous sunny day - another golden sunshiny day in California, and happened to greet the PG&E guy who checks on the meter. “How’s PG&E doing?” I asked the guy (instead of a polite how are you, I was not surprised to hear myself greeting him thus - the “r” word being always on the mind).
“Oh well, just OK, maybe like everyone else.” He said. But what he said next set me thinking and the reason for today’s short post.
“At least there was some good news, all the passengers on the US Airways flight survived. It started my day off well.”
What do you say? Do you think to beat the downturn we must read and do things that are more motivating? Could it turn the tide?
Related Posts:
How is the Job Outlook for 2009?
Recreate and Diversify in a Recession
Managing your Career during Recession
Best Jobs to have during Recession
Careerbright - Career Article and Information for Professionals and Working Women
Tags: always-on-the, career, news, odesk, online-on-tech, outlook, profitable, recession, robert-olson, work at home, work from home, working-women
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January 16th, 2009
If you ask anyone on leaving your job now, the answer would be a vehement “No”; of course, you do not leave your job in recession and a very bad job market as we are seeing this year. But the dilemma on joining back work or not remains the same for a young mother.
I am a member of the IIT women’s forum and this questions was recently there, this is a post which expands on the answer I gave there to a young mom who wants to stay at home with her new born but also is worried whether it would be a good decision to quit her good paying job when the advice all around advices against it. If you are a mom planning on leaving work now and have plans on re-entering the workforce a few years from now here is some advice I have for you:
Why do you want to leave your job?
Is it because of these reasons:
a) You feel the baby is too young to be sent to a daycare and / or you have no other support
b) You just feel too emotional these days and leaving your baby to go back to work increases your guilt
c) You are already too tired just recovering from the delivery, feeding the baby and other chores around the house
d) Your focus has completely changed, going back to work does not excite you anymore
e) Or it could be a different case if your child has special needs and your attention and staying at home would be more beneficial to his/her upbringing
Or there could be other reasons why you now want to be stay at home mom and of course the final decision must always be based on your situation and want; but the first step before taking any step in haste is to question yourself thoroughly. List the reasons which motivate you to leave your job now (as I did above) and then evaluate the answers. It is very important to do an analysis which is not independent of the topics discussed in this article but consider all angles, keeping in mind your current financial situation, mental satisfaction, spousal understanding and how you want your career to progress from here on.
Understand your limitations and circumstances
Check your financial situation and if you can live off well with one income then you can of course take a decision towards thinking on leaving your job and taking on the more responsible and exciting job of being with your kids.
If you are earning very well and cannot afford to let go of your current lifestyle then there are options like, having parents stay over with you to take care of the baby till he/she is ready for the daycare or a stay at home / part-time nanny is a possibility – quite a few of my friends have chosen the nanny as the best possible option because they get some help around the house and it is not so tiring for them when they get back home after work. The house is more organized and they even pay extra for some help with cooking. But of course, finding the right person to look for your child is another tough quest.
How much time can you take off?
If you feel you need more time with the baby it is a good idea to first extensively question all the leave options with your employer. Apart from the maternity leave can you use other family medical leaves or vacation time or any leave without pay, once you know that you can have 4-6 months off or more you can decide better on whether to join back to work thereafter or not. Post delivery a mother goes through an emotional roller coaster, so perhaps giving yourself some time before you take a decision might be a good idea.
Will you be happy being a stay-at-home mom?
The first couple of months are emotional and physically tiring for the new mother and it is best to give yourself the time to evaluate how you like being a full-time stay-at-home mother before making the decision on quitting your job as soon as you have the bundle of joy in your arms and the only someone who can make you feel like a pool of bubbling and overflowing love and emotions.
Would you be getting back to Work?
The reason for making up your mind upfront is that when you are ready to jump back in you are not caught unawares and the transition would be much easier. There are quite a few things that you could do now that will satisfy your need to be in touch with the world while being a stay-at-home mom and also stay in touch with the current technology and skills in your area of expertise.
There are some other very relevant articles on this blog listed below which you might helpful. It is strongly suggested to read these before you make a final decision on leaving the workforce. You will also gain some befitting advice on how you can use your time valuably and smartly when out of work so that rejoining would not to be tough on you as it is on most others who scramble for action only when the situation arises.
Related Posts:
Is a Career Woman Happier than a Stay at Home Mom?
Why Women MUST Work
Balancing Career and a Growing Family – Can a Working Mother make her Life Easier
Healthy Neighborhood Connection Helps a Working Mother
The Choice and Freedom to Work on a Flexible Schedule
Balancing Career and a Growing Family – Can a Working Mother make her Life Easier
Flexible Work Schedule for Women
Stress Management for Working Women
What matters most – Making more Money or having a more Satisfying Job?
Strengthening the Pillars of Self-Confidence on the Comeback Path
Careerbright - Career Article and Information for Professionals and Working Women
Tags: answers, career, child, family, freedom, home business, house, kids, management, news, outlook, profitable, time, women, work from home
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