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http://www.asiaone.com/Business/Office/Ask/Story/A1Story20090330-131885.html
Mon, Mar 30, 2009
my paper
Laid off? It's not the end of the road
By Kenny Chee
IT IS not the end of the road when workers are told that they are being laid off during tough times, human-resource experts said.
Mr Tim Hird, managing director of human-resource firm Robert Half Singapore, said that it is vital that employees remain professional, positive and proactive even if they know they will be laid off.
"A reputation for professionalism and good work ethics is your most important career asset, as it will only help to enhance your chances of getting a new job, or even being re-hired by your company when business picks up again," he said.
Agreeing, the executive director of the Singapore Human Resources Institute, Mr David Ang, added that retrenched workers should leave their companies on a good note as they could still get a good testimonial from their former employers for future job searches, or even gain recommendations to business associates who are hiring.
On the flip side, Mr Ang said firms should not use the downturn to threaten employees with job cuts and exert more work pressure on them when the company is still doing quite well.
Those comments came in the light of a finding released earlier this month by Robert Half, which identified six warning signs that indicated when a company might be looking to cut staff (see below).
But seeing one or two of the signs does not necessarily mean that a firm is retrenching, noted Robert Half.
A 28-year-old quality assurance officer in the IT industry said he was worried about losing his job late last year after job cuts were announced, due to business difficulties the company faced.
While he was not let go in his firm's retrenchment exercise which took place this year, he took heart that the workers who were retrenched are still considered valuable workers.
"Despite being retrenched, my former colleagues handled the process well and continued to focus on their work, even to their last day," said the officer.
[email protected]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Job cuts on the way if...
-Cost-cutting measures are being implemented throughout the organisation.
-Your workload is lighter than usual or projects are being reassigned to others within your department.
-Your work is seasonal in nature and you have significant periods of down time.
-Your position or department is not viewed as a revenue generator.
-You are no longer included in meetings in which you typically participate.
-Your manager is showing increased interest in the status of your projects and the steps to complete them.
Mon, Mar 30, 2009
my paper
Laid off? It's not the end of the road
By Kenny Chee
IT IS not the end of the road when workers are told that they are being laid off during tough times, human-resource experts said.
Mr Tim Hird, managing director of human-resource firm Robert Half Singapore, said that it is vital that employees remain professional, positive and proactive even if they know they will be laid off.
"A reputation for professionalism and good work ethics is your most important career asset, as it will only help to enhance your chances of getting a new job, or even being re-hired by your company when business picks up again," he said.
Agreeing, the executive director of the Singapore Human Resources Institute, Mr David Ang, added that retrenched workers should leave their companies on a good note as they could still get a good testimonial from their former employers for future job searches, or even gain recommendations to business associates who are hiring.
On the flip side, Mr Ang said firms should not use the downturn to threaten employees with job cuts and exert more work pressure on them when the company is still doing quite well.
Those comments came in the light of a finding released earlier this month by Robert Half, which identified six warning signs that indicated when a company might be looking to cut staff (see below).
But seeing one or two of the signs does not necessarily mean that a firm is retrenching, noted Robert Half.
A 28-year-old quality assurance officer in the IT industry said he was worried about losing his job late last year after job cuts were announced, due to business difficulties the company faced.
While he was not let go in his firm's retrenchment exercise which took place this year, he took heart that the workers who were retrenched are still considered valuable workers.
"Despite being retrenched, my former colleagues handled the process well and continued to focus on their work, even to their last day," said the officer.
[email protected]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Job cuts on the way if...
-Cost-cutting measures are being implemented throughout the organisation.
-Your workload is lighter than usual or projects are being reassigned to others within your department.
-Your work is seasonal in nature and you have significant periods of down time.
-Your position or department is not viewed as a revenue generator.
-You are no longer included in meetings in which you typically participate.
-Your manager is showing increased interest in the status of your projects and the steps to complete them.
