Acting Fearful in the Workplace is Dangerous and Career Limiting
In our jobs, there will always be some times of uncertainty. Your company may face challenging times, leaving you in doubt and fear about whether you’ll be laid off.
I say this from experience. Before I was a manager, I used to read smoke signals of impending layoffs. I was fortunate to find another job, exiting a company before it laid off workers in two waves.
At the management level, I was a department head, knowing the company was in trouble. It was a waiting game.
Overfunctioning
My senses were a little too honed for reading distant signs of trouble, after experiencing three companies that had to layoff its workers. In one job, I began acting fearful, rather than introspective. While I thought I kept up a good front, my work behavior demonstrated a level of fear. My boss grew impatient with me. I wasn’t the same person that was hired into this company.
I lost my confidence, thinking the sky would fall. It eventually did. But what I learned from this three things:
- Don’t look weak: you look weak when you shows signs of fear in times of adversity, which isn’t the signal you want to send to the decision makers who’s deciding who should stay or go.
- Accept an information blackout: not enough information drives you crazy, but too much could send you into a tail spin.How much information is enough? It depends. It’s your manager’s call.
- Refrain from gossiping: avoid gossiping, trying to find information that you’re unable to get from your manager about possible layoffs.
View from Management
Looking back at my lessons learned, I can understand why my behavior irritated my former boss. Bosses have to manage the crisis or the situation at hand, they don’t have time to hold your hand because you’re feeling insecure. Have a meeting about your concerns with your boss, but then let it go.
If you’re boss tells you the party line, then accept the party line.
If you have aspirations of being management material, then show your “management” side by demonstrating calm in the face of uncertainty. Be that “tough as nails” person or be that “rock” that people can have confidence in.
If you think you’re at risk, then figure out:
- The best way for you to manage your work load
- Deliver results
- Think about your next career move
But don’t be tempted to be anxious, scared. Don’t be that person. Follow Diane Coutu’s advice on how to protect your job in a recession.
Be Management Material
Working for a living is hard enough. Being management material is tougher.
Employers are not sure things. Understand that overfunctioning is bad for your stress level; more importantly, it’s bad for your career. If you’re management team or boss see you as just another scared worker, especially in times where this fear isn’t warrant, then you probably have demonstrate that you aren’t management material.
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