12 Steps To Take Before You Lose Your HR Job…
by Alan Collins
Think you’re about to lose your HR job?
Welcome to the group.
Thousands of HR folks have been laid off in the last year.
And, unfortunately, even more of our HR colleagues may lose their jobs before the current economic downturn is officially over.
Job losses are a fact of life. If you saw the brilliant movie, Up In The Air (with George Clooney & Anna Kendrick pictured above), you were brutally reminded of one indisputable fact…
When the ax falls, most people are caught by surprise, become angry,
frustrated and more importantly…are NOT PREPARED!
There’s an important message in this movie for HR professionals: if YOU are getting downsized or fired from your own HR job, chances are you WON’T know about it until happens…even if you’re in charge of all company layoffs yourself.
Sure you can pick up on little clues. If you don’t know what clues to look for, you can find them HERE. But whether there are clues or not, you do NOT want to be caught without a game plan.
So, with that in mind, here are 12 steps to follow if you think you’re about to get let go…
Step 1: Accept the fact that your HR job may not be safe.
Face reality. Get your head around the fact that no matter what your position is in the company, nobody is indispensable. But don’t space out. If your leadership team has not yet selected who will be whacked, you want to improve your odds of being the one retained. So stay calm, keep your head down and continue to focus on your job.
However, also prepare for the worst. If you’re not selected to be let go, that’s great. But if you are, you’ll minimize the bad feelings and gain greater control over your destiny if you start preparing in advance.
Step 2: Start discreetly reaching out to your network.
Outplacement experts rightfully preach that networking is the best way to find another job. So get a head start. Use the time wisely while you still have your job. Start very discreetly checking in with your colleagues, vendors, clients, co-workers who are now at other companies.
Set up breakfast and lunch meetings with as many of these folks as possible. Your only objective at this point is to re-connect and line up these relationships so that you’ll feel more comfortable calling on these people for assistance later on should the ax fall on you. Hopefully, you will have kept these relationships current…the worst time to start networking from scratch is when you need a job.
Step 3: Prepare your spouse or significant other.
As tough as it may be to discuss your fears, you need to lay it on the line with your partner about your current job situation. Trying to protect her him/her from possible bad news, while admirable, may well backfire if your partner feels that you have intentionally kept him/her in the dark. If there are kids involved, talk about if, when and how you’ll break the news to them. You’ll find suggestions here.
Step 4: Investigate your company’s severance policy.
Being in HR, you know that most companies don’t disclose or publish any printed information on severance policies. But most use a formula based on your level in the organization and your years of service. Others just wing it as they go along.
So, finding out what you will be paid upon termination can require some digging. Your best source of information will be other employees who have been recently laid off. As you gather information, it’s important to not only find out the amount of severance you can reasonably expect, but also:
- Does the company make lump-sum severance payments or continue employees on payroll? Will your severance payments stop if you find another job?
- Will they extend your insurance benefits?
- Do they provide outplacement assistance?
- Do they offer alternatives to severance? Some companies have recently started to offer employees leave of absence packages as an alternative to termination.
Step 5: Begin taking possession of your personal belongings, personal files and e-mail addresses.
If you are let go, you could be escorted out on the spot and denied the opportunity to go back to your office and clean out your personal stuff. Since there may be a question as to what belongs to you and what belongs to the company, now is the time to sort through your personal files and take them home. Just be careful not to remove anything that could be deemed to be company property or proprietary in nature.
Since your network is the key to a successful job search, you’ll want to be sure that you’ve got all the telephone numbers, e-mail, and address information of your valued contacts inside the company for future reference
If this information is maintained on company-owned equipment (such as a PC or PDA) copy those files on a CD and take it home. Or copy all pertinent data to your home e-mail account.
TIP: Be subtle in your packing activities – you don’t want to create the impression that you’re expecting to be laid off. Although the company may not allow you back in your office after being dismissed, they will return your personal belongings so don’t feel the need to take down personal photos quite yet. But, consider removing anything you consider personal or valuable in a non-obvious manner.
Step 6: Update your resume.
You should always have an up-to-date resume on your hard drive. You never know when a perfect job opportunity might surface. So don’t let an outdated resume prevent you from reacting to new opportunities in a timely manner. If you need to update your resume in minutes and print it in thousands of different custom professional formats and templates the best resource I’ve ever seen is RAPID RESUME BUILDER. You can find it HERE.
Step 7: Re-establish ties with executive recruiters.
If you’ve successfully worked with recruiters in the past, give them a call to touch base. Send them your updated resume and a brief cover letter.
Step 8: Use websites to help you explore HR job opportunities and produce job leads.
There are a growing number of websites that can produce job leads for you. You input the specifications of your desired job – the job search agent will check all the jobs posted in its database and then periodically send you e-mails with postings that match your profile. Here is a list of job search websites you can use.
Step 9: Investigate job opportunities elsewhere within your company.
In some large companies, one division can be laying people off, while another division thrives and is hiring. If you have skills that might be attractive to other departments or divisions, look into options for transfer.
Step 10: Hold off on long-term financial commitments.
If you have financial concerns, for now, it goes without saying that you should put off buying that new home, undertaking a major remodeling or purchasing that new car. The last thing you need right now is to be hampered with new monthly payment obligations.
Step 11: Pay off credit card debt.
With credit card interest rates, the cost of maintaining a monthly credit balance can be staggering. If it’s not possible to totally eliminate the debt quickly, investigate ways to consolidate the payments on a card with a lower interest rate.
Creatively increase your savings account. Certain bills such as auto insurance, health clubs, etc. can often be paid in either a lump sum or installment payments. If you normally pay them on an annual basis, this may be a good time to look into monthly or quarterly payments instead. Surprisingly, the borrowing cost on these installment plans can be quite low, providing you with the option of maintaining a higher cushion in your savings account during this critical time period.
Step 12: Use your employee benefits, before you lose them.
In the event of a job loss, your job benefits will most likely be eliminated. While you will be given the opportunity to extend your health coverage through COBRA, now is the time to maximize your other benefits.
Personal Days: If you need to take time away from the job, save your vacation days by depleting your personal days first. After termination, you’re normally entitled to receive pay for accrued vacation time, while payment for unused personal days or holidays is rare.
Vision Benefits: If you’re entitled to a vision care plan, schedule your family’s eye exams and purchase of glasses/contact lenses immediately.
Max out your Medical Flexible Spending Account: If you are fortunate enough to participate in a section 125-reimbursement account, you can claim all eligible expenses (prescription drug costs, eye care, unreimbursed medical deductibles, etc.) incurred through your date of termination, even if you have not yet fully contributed to the plan. So, do what you can now to maximize those reimbursable expenses – schedule check-ups, order all needed meds, and get your family in tip-top medical shape at an unbeatable price!
Dependent Care: If your child is enrolled in a company-sponsored childcare program, you should investigate the company’s policy regarding your right to continue participating in that program following your termination. If that is not an option, begin to collect data on suitable childcare services in your area.
Other benefits: Is your company affiliated with a work-life service that provides helpful information about eldercare, referrals to summer camps, or daycare providers? How about the little perks – like membership at Sam’s Club? Take advantage of these services while you are still eligible.
You may want to bookmark this site for the future. Layoffs are a fact of life. Even though you should always stay positive and focus on the best, you should also get your head out of the sand and prepare for the worse. You don’t want to get caught flat-footed.
Hopefully, these steps will help prepare you greatly if you think you are about to get let go. Stay strong.
Additional advice to offer? CLICK HERE to comment on this article or provide additional suggestions.
About the Author: Alan Collins was Vice President – Human Resources at PepsiCo where he led HR initiatives for their Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Tropicana businesses. He is now President of Success in HR, Inc. and the author of: UNWRITTEN HR RULES: 21 Secrets For Attaining Awesome Career Success in Human Resources featuring TWO FREE CHAPTERS that can be downloaded HERE.
© SuccessinHR.com
Alan, just read one of your articles. Really good stuff!!
Keep it going.
Best Regards,
Ken Willis
Ken, thanks for stopping by and appreciate the feedback. Hope all is well.
Best,
alan
Allans Collins is capable of writing highly excellent stuff and which is immensely realistic and positive. One who is just outstanding !
Another home run Allen. It happened to me in July of last year. I was
smart enough to see it coming but in complete denial. I had the largest
plant of the old and new company. Been at the job for 12 years. “They need
me” took over my street smarts. So, when the acquiring company announced a
revised HR reporting relationship, it took my by surprise. Many of the
“warning signs” were there but I ignored them. I guess that’s what I’m
getting to: We need to remind our fellow HR friends to pay attention to the
tea leaves and be ready, just in case. Thanks again Allen.
Ray
Vikas – thanks so much for the comments – much appreciated.
Ray – sorry you were impacted and I hope you’ve been able to move forward from the experience. Thanks for the support about the need to remind our fellow HR colleagues about this important topic.
best,
Alan
Alan,
That is a great article. I am in the situation where I can read the writing on the walls. I am happy to say I have done nearly everything on your list.
“Signs never lie we lie to ourselves about the signs.”
Regards,
JW
JW,
Love the quote – truer words were never spoken. Great to hear you’ve got your
plan B in place – most folks are not as prepared as you are and are shocked when
what they’ve suspected and feared, then becomes reality. Kudos to you!!
best,
Alan
Alan,
I am writing this to give you an update on my situation. I started reading a book called “We Got Fired!” Great book. After reading this book I decided that I need to fire myself (resigned) and I did.
I have decided to start up my own management consulting company and for the first time in a long time “I feel like I have control of my career and life.”
Yes, it is a little scary but without risk there is no reward.
Step 2 is the most valuable advice. I was part of a division closure, but was asked to stay an additional year to assist with the transition. I was able to take that valuable time to reconnect and network with a purpose. That reconnection to my network is what got me my next position without any lapse in employment.