How to Allay Job Fears
An article in The Washington Post recently addressed a national job related survey commissioned by my firm, Lynn Taylor Consulting, on how a boss’s closed door can trigger immense job insecurity. The survey showed that one-third of workers these days often gets nervous when they see their manager in private conferences, worrying about possible layoffs.
The telephone survey included 1,000 people, and was conducted by an independent research firm. It also showed that another third worry at least sometimes. A quarter said they rarely or never fear they’re about to be laid off, even when the boss’s door is closed. A quarter of those polled said they think the average worker spends one to two hours a day worrying about personal job concerns such as layoffs, while a fifth believed that such worries consume four or more hours a day.
Overall, 76 percent of employees think about lay-offs when suddenly faced with “the closed door,” and 2.8 hours a day was the average time spent worrying about pink slips. Clearly, managers have a lot of work to do to allay employees’ fears and boost productivity! As the author of “Tame Your Terrible Office TyrantTM,” (John Wiley & Sons, July 2009) and CEO of a consulting firm that trains executives to become more productive and trustworthy managers – these findings make it timely to be aware of the Tame your TOT (Terrible Office Tyrant)TM and Humanize Your WorkplaceTM principles.
If you’re an employee looking for tips on how to advance in your career, or your managers are stuck in the Terrible Twos (!), please visit: www.TameYourTOT.com. For the job concerns press release, click: full press release or comment at my blog.
If you’re a senior manager, and don’t want TOTs running amok in your company (and do want to keep your best talent), visit Lynn Taylor Consulting or my blog. My most basic views are at: www.lynntaylor.com. As for right now, communicate – often. If it helps to buy a $2 door stop to remain “open” to your people and their ideas, that’s a small price to pay! Opening your door literally and figuratively might even keep open the doors of your business.