Stress, Anxiety, Depression - The New Workplace, Cause or Effect

Even companies thought to be bulletproof from layoffs, such a Google, have had to reduce their workforces in this long, deep recession. The Obama Administration says it's going to get worse before it gets better, with unemployment rising above 10% before it inches back down later in 2010. The reality is that there is no such thing as job security any longer and basically everyone should have a healthy dose of concern for their livelihood, that is unless they are independently wealthy and don't really need to be employed. For the rest of us though, worrying about making house payments, putting food on the table, and gasoline in the family car, angst is rampant. So where is the happy median of a healthy concern for our jobs as opposed to being stressed out to the point of it causing major health problems, including depression?

Sarah Burgard, a sociologist at the University of Michigan, in an article published by LiveScience says "In fact, chronic job insecurity was a stronger predictor of poor health than either smoking or hypertension in one of the groups we studied." She goes on to say that "Based on how participants rated their own physical and mental health, we found that people who were persistently concerned about losing their jobs reported significantly worse overall health in both studies and were more depressed in one of the studies than those who had actually lost and regained their jobs recently."

How can this be? When you think about it, the stress of the insecurity about the next paycheck, medical benefits, retirement plans - all tied to our jobs - has to take a toll on us. Everywhere you turn today you see family, friends, and colleagues either out of work or in fear of a forced career change and it's the major focus in much of the media we see. If you get laid off or otherwise terminated from your employment, at least you know where you stand and you can channel your anxiety into action to network and search for another job. Not that this is without its' own stressfulness but at least the uncertainty and helplessness of waiting for the ax to fall is relieved.

In the US, the average savings rate as a percentage of income is lower than the rest of the industrialized world. This leaves us vulnerable in light of job cuts - especially now with 6.2 people competing for each available open position. Most workers lack the wherewithal to maintain their standard of living when hit with a job loss and go through the (sometimes) long process of securing a new one. It will take you an additional month on average to find a new job of equal pay, for each $10,000 of income, e.g. if you make $80,000 it will take eight months to find a replacement position. This includes getting your resume together, networking, the search, getting called back, the preliminary interviews, the final interviews, checking references, making the offer, you accepting the offer, and actually starting the new job. This could be a painful period with meager unemployment benefits.

What happens to your job performance if you are at unhealthy stress levels, which weaken the immune system leading to physical illness and even depression? Your work suffers. You are not upbeat and motivating to your subordinates, teammates, and even customers. You probably have more sick days. This lack of positive contribution can even be your downfall - setting yourself up for a target in the next round of layoffs and can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Yes, the insecurity you feel in your job can cause you to lose it.

What can workers do to remove themselves from this vicious cycle? Start by always having an up-to-date resume and keep an eye open for your next position. Be forward thinking so that you are cognizant of your standing with your employer and the market position of your company, so that you can be proactive and make a change if need be. Help create a healthy work environment in your job where teamwork is encouraged and satisfaction is achieved. You should add value to each task you undertake. Always take the opportunity to continuously re-educate yourself and network with the people in your industry and community who have knowledge and offer guidance. Keep pace with new technologies. Religiously build your savings account for a potential rainy day; that will add a great deal to your security. Being overly dependent on a company can destroy your ability to take risks or make changes when you know they are necessary. You need to prepare for the future by putting these practices in place. This will be your security going forward.

Recession: It Ain’t Over Until It’s Over (in the immortal words of Yogi Berra)

Samantha, a laid off 29 year old clothing store manager, says, she’ll know the recession is over when she gets a new job. A cartoon (satirical humor) in The Denver Post shows a long line of unemployed workers waiting to get into the unemployment office, when one person leans over his shoulder and says, “the recession is over, pass it on.”

Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke recently stated that the US recession is “very likely over.” The same day the Dept. of Labor announced first time unemployment claims for the week came in at 550,000. It’s hard for any of us to grasp what this means. Think about it, each week over one-half million people (the population of a city the size of Denver or Boston proper) file for unemployment benefits for the first time! And this is compounded, week after week, which is why we have roughly 15 million unemployed in the country. About one-half of these people have depleted their unemployment benefits. Imagine the disrupted families, which at about four per household means 60 million people are directly impacted in total. It is not a pretty picture to think of these parents scraping together money to get school supplies and school clothes for their children starting the new school year – let alone food on the table and gas in the car for the job search.

Then we add in the indirectly impacted folks. The workers at Office Depot, whose sales of school supplies are down, causing management to sack another employee or Macy’s pink-slipping a clerk because the school clothes season didn’t meet expectations. It is a vicious cycle we’re caught in. Our economy is built on consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of our economic engine.

This recession isn’t going to end until jobs are created in sufficient numbers to get laid off workers back on the job – and the bloodletting of job cuts comes to a screeching halt. It’s not going to end until consumer confidence builds to levels not seen for many years. Several recent articles have pointed to the damaging impact of “stress” on our lives and much of that today is caused by not really knowing if our employment is stable for the long-term. Unless American workers again acquire confidence in our system, that the housing crisis, financial crisis, healthcare mess, and government overspending is behind us, we won’t begin discretionary consumption as needed to create new jobs. This is the only way we can begin an upward spiral out of this recession.

Americans are resilient people. Hopefully we have learned something from this economic morass and will never again get too deep in debt and proactively stay a step ahead in the job market. We have learned that we have to take responsibility for our own lives and careers – that we can no longer depend on corporate America, our government, or educational system to take care of us. Our own preparedness is our only security going forward. This means always accepting new challenges and assignments in the workplace – become the go to person. It places even great emphasis on maintaining a solid network of colleagues and friends, so they will be there if needed. It’s recognizing what’s going on within your company or industry: are they making a profit or losing out to competition, are they introducing new products, is your position redundant, or is your boss a tyrant adding unbearable stress to your life? Then to proactively do something about it, such as apply for a new position within your company or start looking at a new company or go back to school for another degree. It’s up to you!

Women Rule - Women Overtake Men as Dominant Gender in US Labor Force

Women now hold more jobs in the US than men for the first time in history. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) this Fall the number of women in the labor force surpassed men. Women held only 30 percent of jobs in 1960 and have steadily increased, as a percentage of the total workforce, decade after decade to the present time. The recession has caused major employment reductions in many fields once ruled by men, like construction, manufacturing, finance, and information technology. Whereas, fields like education, healthcare, and government have been adding workers and women increasingly dominate these fields. In local governments this is especially pronounced. BLS data indicates 167,000 women were added to their ranks during this latest recessionary period while 86,000 men were given walking papers - contributing to the gender shift to a work force of over 50 percent female.

Now for the bad news. Women who worked full time earned only 80 percent of what their male counterparts earned, and 77 percent when part-time positions are also factored in. Part of this disparity is because men still control the ranks and higher pay of executive level positions. But nonetheless, there still exists a disturbing gender pay disparity. Women now earn a majority of associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees but experts believe it still may be decades before gender equality in pay is achieved.

Middle-aged men seem to be paying the highest price for their long time favored status, as the so called breadwinners, which they have enjoyed over women and minorities. In fact, men aged from 35 to 54 are almost twice as likely to lose jobs in a permanent layoff as in previous recessions. The pay scale bias that these men have enjoyed is now working against them when companies bent on cost cutting eliminate these higher paid jobs.

The BLS forecasts that males will again be the majority gender of the labor force when jobs are added as the recession subsides. They may not come back in manufacturing and construction in numbers great enough to absorb the recent losses, but jobs will be created in other industries such as network systems, data communications, computer software, home care aids, and others.

It is a historic time for women in the work force, after an epoch journey - and what must follow is gender pay equality. It must become a national priority.

The New and Perplexing Paradigm In The American Job Market

There are countless articles in the media today which suggest the only people being hired, in this tough job market, are those with the “exact” set of skills the organization is looking for. Recruiters only want to see resumes that perfectly match the specific job requirements. Companies use software to scan resumes for the keywords that perfectly match the position to be filled. Interviews are only scheduled with candidates with recent, highly relevant experience.

Conversely, we read that workers with skill sets, which are too specific, are being cut as many companies continue to downsize. This makes some sense. If you have fewer workers or managers to do the job, they are going to have to take on expanded roles – not only completing their previous assigned responsibilities but perhaps manage unrelated departments or jobs as well. But wouldn’t it also make sense for lean companies just starting to expand their workforces out of the depths of recession to hire well-rounded individuals who have the capability to do a specific job but also the wherewithal to assist in other areas?

That’s the dilemma for job seekers today. Do I pigeonhole myself into a position vis-à-vis my resume and the interviews and get pitted against others with those exact skills? Or go I let my broader experience shine through and risk being labeled with less than the concentrated practice they are searching for?

The experts say that college graduates should keep a broad based focus since the changing job market requires flexibility. Workers who already have gained practical experience in a field may be encouraged to add an MBA to their repertoire, to enhance their value to a company, therefore, their survivability.

The reality is that smart, progressive companies – the ones we all aspire to work for – are going to opt for the person with more than just the expertise to perform the job at hand. You probably want to pass on the opportunity if the company is so compartmentalized that they don’t want you to think out of the box. The balancing act is to get through the screening of your resume and the gauntlet of preliminary interviews by “playing the game” with your “exact fit” for the job. Once you have an audience with senior management you can showcase your well-honed transferable skills – as well as the ability to do the posted job. It will require nimbleness, but that’s what today’s job market is about. If the key decision-maker doesn’t feel confident of the additional value you will bring to the organization, you will not get the position. But you now have a margin of control over your own destiny at this point.

Recognize the Warning Signs - Your Job May Be in Danger

With all of the job loss reports splashed across newspapers and Yahoo!, one would think that workers would do a better job at recognizing the warning signs of pending job cuts. Yet most are not recognized or ignored all together. The national unemployment rate just hit a 26 year high of 9.5 percent. Just waiting for the ax to fall is probably the stupidest thing you can do. In this tight job market, you should not only be constantly on the hunt for your next job, but the one after that as well. If you are a part of a large reduction in staff, you will be forced to compete against all of the others in the same predicament! Be a step ahead of your co-workers when cutbacks occur by getting your resume out and starting your search at the first signs of trouble in your company.

What are the red-flags of pending layoffs? They are presently all around us. Consumer spending and confidence are down. The US economy has contracted for yet another quarter. Your state and local economies are most likely in the dumpster. Stimulus Package - or not - jobs aren't going to rebound anytime soon. What about your own company? Are you bringing in new business? Do you work for a profit center or a cost center? Is there a chance you'll be replaced by an automated system? Does your boss tell you your skills are essential to the company and adding to your responsibilities - or are projects taken away?

In your own company always accept the opportunity to serve on committees, Six Sigma, re-engineering task forces, planning teams, or any other group selected by management or co-workers. This can provide valuable recognition of your contributions to the organization. It can also give you tremendous insight into what's going on in the company -- on subjects like new product lines, new company directions, rightsizing, plant closings, process changes, etc. which could very likely affect your job. Whenever additional training or educational seminars are offered be the first to volunteer. It will put you a step ahead of others who choose to sit on the sidelines.

Red-flags - or not - you should always have an updated resume fine-tuned with all of your skills. That is what prospective employers want to see - not just time on a job. One of the best pieces of advice I have read recently is to develop your network of friends, colleagues, associates, etc. before you ever need one. You must nurture your network, both online social networks and career specific, so it will be in place when it is needed. Plan ahead and determine what you want to be doing in 3 to 5 years. What is your dream job? What do you have to do now from career change and educational perspectives to progress toward that ultimate job you desire? Then it's up to you and only you to take action.

How To Maintain Employment In The Toughest Job Market

It's all about being proactive and realizing you are ultimately responsible for your actions. So often we are in a mindset that we are trapped in a job and therefore cruise along on autopilot, at the mercy of our employer. With the current high unemployment numbers, it is easy to see why so many people believe they better stay put and not make any waves. But this mindset leaves you vulnerable to your employer's whims especially if you hunker down and "just do your job." This mindset says don't question processes already in place, go with the status quo, and don't come up with new ideas or products for risk of outshining or offending your boss. But you could be setting yourself up for a headcount reduction.

There are 5 skills which can be instrumental in maintaining continuous employment through good times and bad. There are no guarantees in life, but you can stack the deck in your favor by developing these skills. More important than any job, is maintaining your self-worth. If you develop and practice these five proficiencies, you will be a step ahead of the game. Not only will you feel more secure about your future and how you make a living, but you will exhibit confidence and be a more productive employee. The upward spiral of your career can be set in motion by adoption of these skills.

The ability to recognize what's going on around you gives you a better understanding of your industry, products, competitors, and the economy in general. This will make you a more well-rounded, knowledgeable, and valuable employee and give you the insight to better position your company, and its products, in the marketplace.

Being proactive helps in all of your business dealings; whether its getting a report done on time, thinking of your customers needs before they do, or implementing a beneficial, new process before your boss asks you to.

You are going to have a bad manager or self-centered company officer now and then. Learning to deal with lousy managers gives you an edge your co-workers may not have. If it becomes unbearable, only you will know its time to move on to another organization. But if you are still learning and progressing in the company, you may want to manage the situation a little longer until timing is right for a change. The key to maintaining continuous employment is taking charge of your own career and making the change on your timing and terms versus your employers.

A mentor relationship can assist you to navigate the corporate minefields and position you to move ahead in your organization. A good mentor can be your sounding board for the twists and turns that come your way and she can give advice from her own experience. The more information you have at your disposal the better equipped you are to handle everyday situations and you will be better prepared for any and all changes along your career path.

Lastly, networking with industry colleagues, old college friends, church groups, fellow parents of your daughter's soccer team, or any potential employers, can only increase your knowledge of the job market and enhance your marketability, if or when you need to make a job change.

By being proactive, you are looking out for your own interests (first) while taking care of yourself and your career. As a byproduct, you are building your self-esteem making you more productive as a person and adding value as future opportunities are presented.

Richard S. Pearson is the Author of 5 Necessary Skills to Keep Your Career on Track. He has held vice-president positions with four multibillion dollar travel industry companies and three Internet early stage companies. He has a BA degree from Regis University in Organizational Development. His experience has given him a unique perspective on how to navigate the organizational structures of both large and small companies. He has hired and trained hundreds of employees from frontline salespeople to vice presidents, and coached many through their careers. He is currently working of facilitating the large increase of travel between the US and China, which is taking place. http://www.5necessaryskills.com

I Hate My Job [But Not Doing Anything About It]: Take Charge of Your Career

How many times have you heard a friend, colleague, or relative say “I hate my job?”  It seems to be a reoccurring topic with many people – one that can be very tiresome.  “I only have ten years to retirement and I can’t wait to get out of this place.”  “I despise my boss – I know she is out to get me.”  “This job totally stresses me out, it’s ruining my life.”  There are many variations but it’s the same old theme.  You can’t help but recognize the tone of helplessness in their voices.  Is it a societal issue that we are not responsible for what happens to us, somebody else always has to bear the blame? 

 

Too often we cruise on autopilot and accept what a company or job gives us.  Especially in today’s tough job market, you will hear “jobs are scarce and I can’t afford to risk making a change.”  But these are usually the same people who complain a lot, and shoulder stress, without taking action even in prosperous times.  Stephen R. Covey states, “Many people wait for something to happen or someone to take care of them.  But the people who end up with the good jobs are the proactive ones who are solutions to problems, not problems themselves, who seize the initiative to do whatever is necessary, consistent with correct principles, to get the job done.”

 

Does anyone really believe that they are going to get a tweet on Twitter, a FaceBook message, an email, or knock on the door stating, “we’ve been on an extensive search looking for someone just like you.”  The fact is you are responsible for your career choices.  Only you have the power to be proactive and take the initiative to make a change, if change is needed.  If you have a horrible boss or work environment, you have to take responsibility to either work with team members to improve the situation or start making plans to move on. 

 

The key is to make a plan.  This doesn’t necessarily involve quitting your job.  It may very well be setting your sights on a different position within your company and proactively going after that job.  Don’t do anything rash – half the battle is recognizing there is a problem – then developing a conscious plan to do something about it.  This should be a written plan and shared with a trusted mentor or respected friend to get another viewpoint.  You need to look within and determine what you really want to be doing.  Because you can’t have a real plan, until you establish the goal.  What can you become totally immersed in and enjoy going to work to do?  This is usually easier said than done.  It must be practical and reasonably attainable, but nonetheless what you really have a vision of doing.  We can’t all venture off to Africa with the Peace Corp. on a humanitarian mission, as we have other life commitments.  It may require several intermediary steps, like going back to school for an advanced degree, getting a shorter term well-paying job to save money to start your own business, or getting an entry level job in the field of your dreams to allow you to work toward the position you desire.

 

Take control of your career (and life) by not accepting the status Quo until it’s too late.  Life is too short!