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There’s a fine line between paranoia and being concientious
Sunday, 23 Jun, 2009
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TravelMole Guest Comment by Kristina Wallen, managing director of HARP wallen Executive Recruitment
Much has been said about the effect of these crunchy economic times and the consumer’s propensity to travel, whether to Europe, the USA, to UK destinations or even whether they’ll take a break at all.
However, it seems to me that we’ve so far overlooked the effect on the workforce which is battling through the economic woes.
Offices running on fewer staff – who are often worried for their job security – amid companies failing, leads to a stressful culture making it all too easy to slip into ‘presentee-sim’ ie not taking a break or even lunch hours in a bid to be seen to be doing the best job possible.
There is a fine line between paranoia and being conscientious but it is also part of today’s modern flexible working. The upside of all the great communication tools of today, such as the Blackberry and widespread wireless broadband, is that you get mobility and flexibility. The downside is that you can get obsessed with them and you fall into the great trap that is ‘the electronic leash’.
Those who stay in touch constantly –and often unnecessarily – are paranoid because they want to stay visible in their organisations despite being on holiday and that they are genuinely concerned about job security.
This is, in my opinion, a rather old fashioned view as staying in touch with your office for these reasons will not guarantee your job is safe in today’s market.
In these tricky times it’s clear to see those who are willing to put themselves out to do a good job and those who are not. On top of this those who pull together with their teammates rather than work to undermine them to get ahead will be found out. These are times to pull together not work against your colleagues.
This is why being involved in the industry at large – either through formal groups on online forums – is so important.
Having a larger umbrella to shelter under when things are tough can be both reassuring and offer the opportunity to meet people in the same situation. Whether you’re starting out in your career or are at the top of it, these sorts of organisation can help you expand your knowledge, your networking power and subsequently your horizons.
Sticking together when times get tough is something that the Brits are famous for – this is no longer purely in terms of family and friends, it’s also in business now too.
Phil Davies
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