RIFProofing for Companies

When I started doing outplacement workshops almost 10 years ago, I was amazed how many downsized employees had accomplishments that went well beyond the expectations of their company. Unfortunately, the companies weren't aware of the impact because the employees themselves had never taken the time to quantify their accomplishments.

At the time, I was convinced the companies were to blame for not doing a better job tracking employee accomplishments and for eliminating the positions of employees who, in many cases, were contributing far more to the bottom line than they were being paid. While it is true that companies frequently make ill-informed decisions when it comes to layoffs or Reductions in Force (RIFs), it isn't always their fault.

Over the years, I have come to realize that most people make almost no effort to think through how their work impacts the organizations, customers, suppliers, and others with whom they come in contact. That's unfortunate because if employees don't take the time to track their accomplishments, no one else will.

While personal and professional development is the responsibility of the individual, it is also true that companies have an enormous amount to gain by encouraging people to play a more active role in tracking their own accomplishments. As companies continue to downsize and operate with fewer employees, it is more important than ever to make sure the right people are in the right position. That's an important part of what my most recent eBook, RIFProofing Your Career, is all about.

RIFProofing isn't just for individuals. It is a process companies can use internally to gain a deeper appreciation of the depth and breadth of talent within the organization. This can be accomplished through workshops, one-on-one coaching, or by licensing the eBook and encouraging employees to work through the process on their own. For more information about what RIFProofing can offer your company, visit: www.rifproofing.com/rif-proofing-ebook-for-corporations.

RIFProofing for Individuals

Over the past year, we have seen the unemployment rate skyrocket as companies resort to layoffs or Reductions In Force (RIFs), as some companies euphemistically refer to them. To help people avoid becoming yet another statistic, I have written a new eBook called, RIFProofing (sm)Your Career: How to Protect and Keep Your Job in Any Economy.

In my work as a career coach and trainer, I have seen too many clients and workshop participants who didn't do enough to protect their jobs and found themselves unemployed. For example, one woman named Andrea was working at a company that decided to eliminate 40% of the payroll across all departments. As often happens, Andrea's company started with employees who were making the most money. That isn't a smart strategy, but that's what happened. Since Andrea had been at the company for 8 years, she found herself on the list.

Unfortunately, since Andrea had never taken the time to communicate the depth and breadth of her impact, the company viewed her as a highly paid expense. What Andrea didn't realize (and therefore never communicated) was that she had saved the company $1 million over eight years by coming in at or under budget on all of her projects. That worked out to an annual savings of $125,000--$50,000 more than her salary. In other words, she was an INVESTMENT, not an expense.

Considering the fact that 60% of the payroll in every department was RETAINED, there is no question in my mind that Andrea's job would have been spared if the company had known the bottom line impact she had on the organization. But they didn't.

While there are a variety of factors that go into layoff decisions, the fact remains that most companies are clueless about the real impact of their employees. I wish I could say Andrea's case was unusual. But it isn't. Every day, people who shouldn't be losing their jobs are being released by companies who don't truly know the value of the people who are walking out the door.

Given the struggle many people are having from a job search perspective, you owe it to yourself to do everything possible to protect your position. That's what my new eBook, RIFProofing(sm) Your Career: How to Protect and Keep Your Job in Any Economy, is all about.

I'm not going to lie to you. RIFProofing takes work. You have to be willing to make an investment in yourself. And you have to be willing to take steps you may never have considered. While there are no guarantees, you have a much better chance of protecting your job if you know the pitfalls that so many employees encounter when layoffs become a possibility. RIFProofing Your Career can help you navigate and avoid the traps along the way.

If you are one of the many who feels your job may be in danger, I have one question:

What are you willing to do to protect your position?

If you are willing to invest the time and effort it takes to RIFProof Your Career, this eBook could be the best investment you ever make.

RIFProofing Your Career

With so much concern about job security, I decided to write a new eBook to help people avoid the mistakes I've seen countless people make over the years. The eBook, RIFProofing (SM) Your Career: How to Protect and Keep Your Job in Any Economy, is available now on my new website www.rifproofing.com.

RIFProofing Your Career includes my most up-to-date strategies and is perfect for people who want to make sure they are doing everything possible to protect their jobs. Working through this eBook is equivalent to at least 3-5 hours of 1:1 coaching--at a fraction of the cost.

For a limited time, you can take advantage of a special introductory discount of 50%.

Watch this space over the next few days for more information about how RIFProofing can help individuals and companies alike.

Hiding Behind Email

Over the past few weeks, I've had some interesting conversations with people about the rapidly decaying manners of our society--a phenomenon that impacts companies and individuals as well. Once again, I am talking about people who hide behind emails when delivering bad news.

Not surprisingly, a growing complaint among job hunters is getting rejected via email. While it would be wonderful if job hunters received some indication that their resumes were received and didn't drop into an abyss, I know it isn't practical for companies to formally acknowledge every applicant. Nor is it necessary considering that a huge percentage, thanks to the Internet, probably don't even remember applying. It's truly unfortunate that great, qualified applicants frequently get lost in the sea of unqualified applicants who are under the misguided impression that job hunting is a numbers game.

The problem, as I see it, happens after the interviewing process. It is amazing how many companies think it is appropriate to email a rejection to people who have invested time and energy going through formal, face-to-face interviews. Ideally, this news should be communicated by phone and, I shouldn't have to say this, by an actual living, breathing human. At the very least, the company should send a formal letter on company letterhead. But an email? Come on. That is the ultimate in lazy and inconsiderate behavior. Have we become so gutless as a society that we can't even deliver bad news by phone anymore? These are the wimps who make the rest of the human resource professionals look bad.

Any company that sends rejections via email needs to rethink this policy because it leaves a seriously negative and unprofessional impression. Is that really the way these companies want the world to view them?

While were are still on the subject, here's one more thought on the inappropriate use of email by individuals:

I had a disturbing conversation the other day with a friend who decided to stop dating a guy she had been seeing for several months. As she talked it over with her female friends, she was shocked how many of them encouraged her to break up via email. She was so disappointed in her friends, it actually made her wonder if she had as much in common with them as she thought. In any case, it clearly illustrates how quickly rude behavior has become the norm. It also made me wonder if any of these women had ever had a guy break up with them via email or text. My female friends who have had that experience didn't like it all. But maybe when you are hell-bent on taking the easy way out, you don't think about things like that.