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Key to job security: good relationships

I was surprised to see in a recent survey that workers’ relationships with their bosses and fellow employees have apparently not been hurt by the recession. In fact, those relationships may have improved during the downturn.

The survey, from financial staffing firm Accountemps, showed that 87% of professionals said they have a good rapport with their supervisors, and 95% said they get along well with coworkers. Those figures are roughly the same as when the same survey was conducted in 2005, when the economy was better.

Some stronger ties

However, the number of folks this year who described their ties with the boss as “very good” was up 4% over 2005, and those who had “very good” relationships with coworkers was up 7% over 2005.

Is the recession driving people to treat others better in the workplace?

“People make work relationships a priority in good times and bad,” says Katherine Spencer Lee, a district president with Robert Half International, the parent of Accountemps.

“In the current economy, we see people pulling together, empathizing with the work and personal challenges their colleagues are facing and doing what they can to help,” she adds. “There also is a ‘we’re in this together’ mentality among many of those trying to accomplish more with leaner teams and fewer supporting resources.”

Increasing your value

Good relationships in the workplace also boost job security, especially now as managers constantly assess where to make possible cuts. Experts offer these suggestions for maintaining and improving relationships at work:

• Take on challenges outside your job description.
• Adjust your work habits and communication style to better mirror those of your boss.
• Maintain your poise during challenging times.

For additional tips, see the article “Workplace Relationships Stay Strong in Economic Downturn.”

5 ways to be indispensable

Everyone fortunate enough to still have a job right now would also like to feel more layoff-proof. Who wouldn’t?

Job insecurity is everywhere these days. To decrease that insecurity, check out the advice in “Keep Your Job: 5 Ways to Be Indispensable.”

One way is to make yourself more valuable by finding ways to increase profit. Says executive coach Peggy Klaus, “Be certain that the results you are focusing on and producing are the ones your boss and company value most. Translation: efficiency, cost-cutting and revenue.”

For more good tips, check out the Yahoo! HotJobs article.

Another job-keeping approach some people are trying: lying, cheating, and flirting. That’s according to an interesting new survey reported in TIME magazine. In fact, 28% of people said they would act immorally to keep their jobs.

Hmmm. What better recipe for stress in the workplace?

Job-loss anxiety hits 1 in 3 workers

More than a third of working Americans are anxious about their job security in 2009, according to a recent Yahoo! HotJobs survey.

The feeling is certainly understandable, with rising unemployment and daily gloom from news outlets about layoffs and financial fears. In fact, I’m surprised the number from the survey isn’t higher.

Another interesting bit of data from the survey: job satisfaction actually rose in 2008. More people claimed to satisfied at work (38%) than in 2007 (28%). The recession is improving how people feel about their jobs — as in, “I’m glad to have one!”

For those who are feeling anxious, I recommend reading the article about the survey, as it includes 6 tips to combat job-loss anxiety.

Are you compatible with your boss?

Now is the time of year when we think about bosses. Did you get your boss a card for National Boss Day (Oct. 16)?

The relationship you have with your boss is really important; he or she holds the power to your paycheck. So it’s worth taking some time to assess your compatibility and identify ways you can make the relationship better.

In the article “Are You and Your Boss Compatible?” you will find some good tips for figuring out basics about your boss’s personality and then adjusting your style to work better with him or her.

For example, your boss may be a Dreamer: someone who inspires with enthusiasm but whose head is in the clouds. You may need to bump up your skills in grounding a grand vision to reality, and then setting deliverables and timely goals. Complementing your boss’s strengths in this way is not only a good learning experience for you, but a potentially good move for advancing on the job.

On the other hand, you may want to learn “How to Steal Your Boss’s Job.” In any case, it’s always a good idea to master the “10 Habits that Bosses Love.”

No relief in the unemployment numbers

While the country waits to see what will happen with the bailout bill in Congress, today the government released sobering unemployment statistics for September.

The unemployment rate held steady at 6.1 percent. Last month the economy lost jobs in construction, manufacturing and retail, but added jobs in health care (no surprise there) and mining.

The unchanged rate won’t do much to ease people’s anxiety about their job security. In the most recent Yahoo! HotJobs site poll, 60% of respondents said they were “extremely worried” that the current U.S. economic crisis is a direct threat to their jobs.

Q	How worried are you that the U.S. financial crisis is a direct threat to your job?
Extremely	60%
Modestly	20%
Barely	8%
Not at all	12%
5612 Votes to date

Bright side: At least the unemployment rate didn’t rise.

Hot tech job: Biologist?

I’m all about hot jobs these days, and here’s a surprising one caught my eye while reading Fortune magazine.

Due to the solar-power boom, engineering companies are scrambling to hire biologists to help with wildlife and environmental surveys to make sure new solar stations in deserts and fields meet government standards. Obviously, the goal is to not run afoul of protections for threatened species. (Hello, desert tortoise!)

According to the Fortune article, the work is labor-intensive but lucrative (upwards of $120K). Nice work if you can get it.

Job satisfaction up; consumer confidence down

More than 4 in 10 workers (41%) say they are “very satisfied” with their jobs, according to a survey this week by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

The good feelings aren’t translating to confidence about the U.S. economy, however. The Conference Board’s consumer confidence survey for June, released today, recorded its lowest rating in 16 years.

According to the New York Times, the survey also showed that many Americans feared they might lose their jobs or be unable to find work. Respondents who described employment as “plentiful” fell to 14.1% in June from 16.1% in May.

These days the good news/bad news yoyoing puzzles me (and countless others, I’m sure). Case in point: I was on FOX Business Network yesterday to talk about bright spots on the hiring landscape, yet I had to listen to so much contradictory gloom about layoffs and the economy while I waited in the studio that I felt like I was preparing to swim upstream alone.

Nonetheless, some industries are still experiencing job growth (e.g. health care, food services), and there will always be jobs available for people who are determined to find the right fit.

Well, maybe not so bitter?

After the post below, I want to offer a glimmer of hope from a different survey.

The Spherion Employee Confidence Index rose 0.7 points to 46.9 in May, showing the first increase in 9 months.  The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Spherion Corp., reflects workers’ increasing confidence in the economy.

I suspect those results came out before the government’s numbers on the unemployment rate for May — 5.5% up from 5%. That’s a big jump, unfortunately.

The survey also noted that “simmering fears about job loss persist.” Read the full release for more mixed (mostly bad) news.

Lots of bad news this week…

… At least in terms of the job market.

Layoffs were a common theme in business news this week.  The big-name employers getting ready to issue pink slips include Citigroup, Merrill Lynch, AOL, AT&T, and possibly E*Trade.  The projected total number of jobs slashed from just those companies comes to more than 15,000, conservatively.  And that’s on top of recent bad news in the airline industry (see “Prepare for turbulence“).

Today’s New York Times reports on another disturbing trend — many employees are working fewer hours these days as compared to six months ago. It’s another sign of a deepening recession, the article suggests.

All this bad news is also a strong reminder to make sure your resume is updated, among other steps you can take to avoid being hurt by the economic slowdown. For more, check out these articles:

• Keeping your job security in uncertain economic times
• 5 ways to keep your job in a recession
• Maximize your long-term salary growth

Prepare for turbulence!

The news about big airline mergers — Delta and Northwest, and possibly United and Continental — raises many issues for travelers. But what about employees?

All the companies mentioned above are very large, with tens of thousands of employees. Mergers of that magnitude pose several challenges, and the affected employees will face a period of major uncertainty and stress. It could easily happen to you — even if you don’t work in the airline industry.

In any merger of companies, employees can take some steps to survive the culture shock, as this recent article points out. Prepare to be flexible and patient!

Layoffs can also be an unpleasant cloud looming on the merger horizon. If you are facing this situation, you can take steps to protect yourself from a layoff and possibly save your job.

Other relevant articles to check out:

• What ‘right-sizing’ means to your career
  
• How job anxiety can help you succeed
• Job-hunting in an unsteady economy