Do Business Well

A network documentary once showed in poignant detail how forced separation from the companies to which they had devoted their most productive years had affected several managers. For some, the effect was disastrous—a loss of confidence, of identity, even of belief in the system that could permit this to happen. Each had worked hard and well for his or her company. “How could they do this to me?” was the question that each, in his or her own way, asked.

One response to this question was given by Lord Edward Thurlow, an English jurist and statesman of the 18th century who asked, “Did you ever expect a corporation to have a conscience, when it has no soul to be damned, and no body to be kicked?”

While it is true that corporations work best when they appreciate the human potential of their employees, it is also true that people are, on the corporate books, a cost variable of paramount importance. Without the ability to control such costs, no corporation could survive. And though the managers of some corporations do it more gracefully or logically than others, in the end, the necessity to maintain itself in the marketplace by controlling the size and cost of its work force is an essential function of all corporations.

These days—in a lean and mean economic environment—many managers are feeling the cold shadow of the corporate axe. Unfortunately, there is little reason to feel that this threat will disappear. Many personnel experts feel that the days when management ranks were the last to be depleted in a work force cutback are permanently over. Managers are now considered, by and large, as vulnerable as anyone else to either being fired or forced into premature retirement.

One personnel expert, Ray Wicklander, management director for Continental Capital Management Corp., Chicago, says this about those who fail to measure up: “Employees who have hit a plateau in today’s economy become an especially difficult burden. We’re now competing with the likes of Sears and Merrill Lynch, so we frankly can’t afford people with only one trick in their bag, and an old one at that. We don’t owe them a living.”

Is there anything that you can do about this ongoing process? The answer is yes—provided you are willing to cast loose from any conviction you may have that you deserve total job security from the corporation that employs you. Are you able to .. .

Take an unsentimental look at what is happening? Is your corporation forced to fight hard for its share of the market? How have recent events affected its net earnings? What are its prospects? What is happening with similar operations? How are their work forces affected? Have new officers and/or consultants been brought in to bring about changes? How vital is your operation in the corporate scheme of things?

Even if your corporation is making money, and even if your operation seems to be making an intrinsic contribution to the bottom line, there is still good reason to feel insecure. Other operations within the corporation may be ailing, may need shoring up. Your operation, because it is doing well, may be viewed by higher management as one whose budget and staff can be safely pared so that scarce financial resources can be shifted.

Take a hard look at your job? Are you getting paid a relatively substantial salary? How much would the operation suffer if you were replaced by someone who could be paid substantially less? How much would the operation suffer if your job were to be eliminated altogether, or combined with another job? What would happen to you if your boss were transferred or fired?

Many especially conscientious managers come to have an unrealistic view of their importance to the corporate scheme of things. They feel that the hard work and long hours they put into getting the job done will be recognized and rewarded, and that each year of this continuing effort makes them all the more valuable. Unfortunately, CEOs or management consultants may not always see it that way.

Visualize where you’d be if your job or operation were eliminated? Is there a place for you elsewhere in the company? Do you have a powerful sponsor who could assure you of such a place (and just how powerful is this sponsor)? Would you accept a geographical transfer? A substantial pay reduction? Sharply differing duties? A position with lessened responsibilities? Could you get a similar job elsewhere in your field? Could you enter another field or go into business for yourself? Could you happily handle retirement at this point in your life?

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