Who's responsible for your job security?

I found this article on the web recently and it sparked some questions in my head. As an employer, I am always thinking about my employees and in these difficult times looking at all the ways to make sure that our business is secure, stable and can meet all our obligations.

The question is how do employees see it? Who comes first themselves or the organisation? Would they stay to help the organization succeed? Or would they jump ship?

James is an MBA graduate his marks were in the top quartile of his class. Not only is he intelligent, he is ambitious and proud of the fact that he is the first in his family to qualify with a degree/s. He had been working at a medium sized enterprise as a Statistical Analyst since he completed his Honours Undergraduate Degree. Having recently completed his MBA from a reputable institution, he wanted to now really make his mark in the world. He wanted to work for a reputable large company. He wanted to move now!

It was not that James did not enjoy where he currently worked. He thought the people were great, even though everyone worked hard. The business itself was exciting to work for as they were thought leaders in the industry in terms of what they did with data. He felt with the uncertainty in the economy that was not subsiding, his job security would be better off in a company which is larger and the brand more widely known. He thought that it would be better for his career.

James is not alone in this school of thought. People often have a perception that bigger is better and that during uncertain economic times, the bigger companies that have been around for longer survive during harder times. What is not factored in with that theory is that the companies survive, but not all its employees’ jobs do! James was an employee at a company which was small if you measured headcount. He was surrounded by intelligent people, who performed as a team resulting in the business doing well.

His fear and beliefs were real though. You can’t be optimal in your performance as a person if you, for whatever reason, fear losing your job. James as an individual had the right temperament for his job, the right skills, he worked in a company that was doing well in an economic sector that was not distressed as compared to most of the other industries. So then with the job, what job security could he possibly have wanted? What more was he looking for from his employer?

You are the sole provider of your own security. You can’t put your job security on the company or the economy. You can’t control other people, but you can influence them. So for you to influence your job security, you not only have to constantly work on your skills and your attitude, you need to use them and deliver performance that will be valued by those around you. You are accountable to deliver the performance and outcome expected of your job. You are responsible for managing the expectations of the people you serve. If you are adding value, and it is perceived as such, the probability of you securing your job is increased. It may not be 100%, but it gets further away from having no chance!

Look to be more effective by focusing on who you can count on rather than looking to see who you can blame when things don’t work out as you would like. If you are looking to work for someone who will give you the assurance of gainful employment continuously, think again! The answer is not big corporate. You are responsible for your job security, not your employer!

As I mentioned in a previous post, it's our attitude, skills and ability  that creates our job security and we have to realise that just being good is not enough anymore.