Let’s start with this real-life story:
This event took place on a Monday morning in the ever-busy business capital of Nigeria – Lagos. James Ajibade (not real name) is a hard-working man with a goal of adding to the bottom-line of his firm and as every job-holder does, he always looks forward to his monthly pay-slip. This fateful morning, he woke-up and got dressed for work, little did he know that he was going to end that day without a job! How do you mean? Read on please.
James usually starts his Mondays at work with a Management meeting. He held a Managerial position in his firm, so Management meetings was a normal occurrence for him. The meeting was scheduled for 9 a.m that morning but it did not kick-off as scheduled. James got a call on the intercom at 9.15am that his Head of Department (HOD) needed his attention before the meeting can start. James went ahead to his HOD’s office and they had a brief chat. He never suspected any foul play, so James was calm. He started to sense that something was not right when his HOD started his speech – ‘James Ajibade, we know you are one of our best hands here and Management does value your contribution to the bottom line of the organisation. However, a decision has been made by Management that we would have to ‘let-you-go’ due to the current economic situation of the Nation and it takes effect immediately’…
The rest of the story you can complete, I guess. James Ajibade started that day with a Job but ended the day without one – so sad!
According to Wikipedia – “Job security is the probability that an individual will keep his or her job; a job with a high level of job security is such that a person with the job would have a small chance of becoming unemployed. Factors affecting job security is dependent on economy, prevailing business conditions, and the individual’s personal skills. It has been found that people have more job security in times of economic expansion and less in times of a recession.
The business world is sometimes hard with harsh realities! As you read this piece, does James Ajibade’s story look familiar to you? I want to believe that James Ajibade was never prepared for this, who will? Many job-holders run away from that hard reality and never ask “what if I’m asked to leave my present organization – am I prepared?”
In order to help you face this harsh reality of right-sizing or down-sizing in the business world, please note the following points:
1. Watch out for warning signs: if you are honest with yourself there are always warning signs before a right-sizing or down-sizing. Note them and plan for it.
2. Always have a plan B if Plan A fails you: some organizations are like the historic Titanic that is bound to sink- if you are sensitive enough to sense it. Are you willing to let-go before you are asked to go?
3. If you find yourself in Ajibade’s shoes, keep hope alive and don’t take your life: it is painful to loose your job when you least except it but that’s not the end of life. Be courageous and make it into a worthy story!
I believe this is a real wake-up call for you. Don’t take the title of this post to heart, I am not saying you should actually quit. But always be prepared for the raining days!
Have you had a similar experience like James? How did you overcome? Feel free to share you comments or ideas in the comment box below.
Till next time, we are all work in progress!
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