How to make your job layoff-resistant

Eve Tahmincioglu • Profile • E-mail

Thomas, a 60-year old project manager for a construction company, knows there’s a possibility for layoffs at his firm because of the sagging housing market. And Brandon, a customer service representative for a phone company in Oregon that’s about to be bought out by a telecommunication’s giant, fears his days may be numbered.

It’s impossible to know for sure if either man will be fired until they actually get that tap on the shoulder by their manager asking them to come to their office for a chat.

During tough economic times almost everyone wonders if they’ll end up on the chopping block, and we hope the companies we work for make sensible choices when choosing who will stay and who will go.

But alas, sense doesn’t always prevail.

“Employees think bosses fire on a last-in, first-out basis, [and] that firing is somehow based just on performance,” says Stephen Viscusi, author of the forthcoming book, "Bulletproof Your Job: How to Ride Out the Rough Times and Come Out on Top at Work." “It’s not. It is not objective. It is subjective.  Bosses keep the people they like regardless of experience or performance and fire people they don’t like — plain and simple.”

Viscusi says managers disguise their decisions as a business decision when it’s actually “a human and often personal decision. That’s why bosses' and HR’s favorite line is “don’t take it personally.”

So, is there a type of employee that is more likely to get axed than their co-workers? Is there a personality trait or job history that pegs a certain worker as dispensable? Is there an anatomy of a person most likely to get canned?

I decided to ask some of the human resource managers I know at companies around the country if they could pinpoint the employee that’s most likely to get laid off, and I got a range of responses.

One thing I can tell you, based on their feedback: If you’re a loner with no friends at work; make lots of money; and don’t think twice about coming late to the office, you may want to start sprucing up your resume.

"I have worked with some managers whose first words out of their mouths are 'let's get rid of X because we're paying too much for the return we're getting,’" says a human resources manager for a major publishing company.

But, she stresses, HR managers like herself try to coach bosses not to do that and often try to encourage them to base decisions on seniority because it’s easier to defend if a worker comes back with a lawsuit.

When it comes to personality types, says another HR executive who works for a top insurance company, the area where that’s most critical is  “for leadership positions where someone has not built relationships or credibility with a broader array of colleagues.  This can make them an easier target.”

But, he adds,  “performance and contribution tends to trump all in my view.  Relationships and alliances are important in these kind of situations, however, once again the performance has to be there as well.”

This particular HR veteran warned against putting too much emphasis on whether someone gets along with others or not. “I would not consider the layoff process to be like a "Survivor" episode where people are voted off the island based on popularity and alliances.  It's different in that these decisions tend not to be a vote or consensus and a track record of performance is a critical factor.”

As for slackers, there seems to be a consensus. “If you can't make it to work on time,” he says, “then certainly all bets are off.  This would translate to lower performance.”

Another thing to keep in mind is whether or not you toot your own horn, says Cheryl Asher, Assistant Professor of Economics and Statistics at the Villanova School of Business.

If you’re kicking butt but no one knows about it you may end up on the layoff list; and this is particularly a problem for women, who aren’t great on singing their praises at work, Asher notes. (See a past column I wrote on the topic. )

Working in a particular division, or segment, of a company can also make your position more precarious in a down-turning economy.

MORE FROM CAREERS

Careers Section Front

Your Career: Entitlements of the unemployed Your Career: The spirit of giving at work Struggling companies ax 401(k) match Your Career: Be wary of that 'noncompete' Companies prefer layoffs to pay cuts Office holiday party pits money against morale Your Career: Working in new administration  The hottest places for green jobs in the U.S. To change careers, tailor your résumé Your Career: Should Election Day be a holiday? Careers Section Front   Add Careers headlines to your news reader: