2009 is not a year where a lot of companies will do well. Quite the opposite actually. The signs that most companies are not doing well are so clear that, well, we see it on the news nearly every week. Retrenchments, pay cuts, projects delayed or even abandoned, etc.

But those signs are already very drastic signs…..and by the time you know it, sorry to say, it’s already too late. You’ll most likely be caught in it.

Not a very good sign either...why must they cut the cubicle?

Well, there is still hope. I do believe that there are other less significant signs that one can observe to know whether one’s company is doing well or not. And these less significant signs normally appear before the obvious signs.

And here they are, some of the not-so-good signs if you notice them occurring in your office.

• Everyone is watching Youtube.
• The list of online people in Facebook, most of them are your colleagues.
• Your colleagues are playing games during office hour. Some are watching movies. Their excuse? Nothing to do.
• Your office space is getting a bit crowded. Many people who are supposed to be in client’s site, are back in the office.
• Or, your office space is becoming less crowded because people are being laid off or forced to go on unpaid leave.
• You always see a group of people going into a meeting with the bosses, and after the meeting everyone looks gloomy, with a letter/envelope each in their hands.
• Your office network is getting slower everyday. Someone is busy streaming or downloading.
• The biscuits in the pantry have not been refilled for a couple of weeks.
• The supply of tissue paper has been replaced by toilet paper.
• Your bosses start to monitor everyone’s behavior and what online activities they are doing in the office.
• Your sales guys are having extended tea breaks……..far too often.
• Your office is getting darker – in terms of lighting and also aura.
• There’s no more weekly or monthly updates from the bosses. They just don’t care anymore.
• Most of your management people left.
• Your management is arguing with you over a claim which is worth RM 5.
• Removal of some of the employees’ benefits.
• The plants in your office are dying. Nobody is taking care of them.
• The lunch breaks are getting longer, from 1 hour to maybe 3 hours.
• Your company starts to take in any kind of projects….including those that are completely out of scope or not within the industry.
• etc….

The list can go on and on and on. For some of the companies, it can be quite different since different industries have their own share of problems and issues. Mine is looking more from the IT industry (I gather the information from various sources).

So if you happen to see some of those signs in your company, perhaps it’s best for you to plan your way out. Things might get better or worse from there…….and most of the time is worse.

And by the time you get things like pay cut, retrenchments, etc ……it’s already too late.

By the way, if you have any other signs that you want to list out here or share with us, do feel free to contribute in the comment box.

Today I met up with few friends in 1U and one of them is a HR executive for an insurance company. What she told us was quite demotivating, but something that all of us should have realized by now.

A year ago, her company could not find enough resources. She said it was very hard to get the right people back then. Thus, her company actually went an extra mile to get the right people – publishing on newspapers, conducting walk-in interviews, posting up on Jobstreet, etc. Still, it was very hard to hire.

This year, a lot of people will be desperate for jobs

A month ago, her company conducted another walk-in interview. This time, the queue was so long that it took them few hours to finish all the interview sessions. And among the interviewees, there were few remarkable candidates which my friend can remember.

Candidate 1 – not the youngest of the candidates, but she has no job experience. She used to be a house wife but was forced to find a job because her husband recently lost his, and they were not able to support their family’s living cost.

Candidate 2 – 1 of the youngest candidates and did not have any proper qualification for the job. And when told that the job role was not suitable for her, she started to cry and beg the interviewer to give her the job. She said that her mum was sick and she needed the money to pay for mum’s medical expenses. The salary from her father was not enough.

And these 2 candidates were not alone. In fact, there were quite a number of them having financial issues due to the bad economy (retrenchments, job losses, etc).

Even Spidey lost his job

Then my friend told us that the job positions offered, all of them, did not have a good remuneration package. Those remuneration packages were well under the medium income bracket. And yet, there were so many people who came for the interview.

So if you still think you’re in a bad situation because of no bonus…or no increment, then think again. If you think your salary being cut is very unfortunate, then think again. There are many more people out there who are in a worse situation than you.

And for those people who refuse to do certain things because it’s not part of their job (without proper justification)….either you leave that attitude of yours, or you leave the job. Give that job to people who need it more. I’m pretty sure that they have a much better attitude than you.

Don’t want to do that? Then change your attitude.

p/s…seems like most people do realize how bad the economy is nowadays. 1u was shockingly quiet on Saturday. I was in Italiannies for lunch and the usually crowded restaurant has only 4 to 5 tables with customers. Anyway, I didn’t pay the bill since it was for my birthday. LOL. With my current financial status, I doubt I can dine in such expensive places.

I came across this valuable article about “Finding a Good Job in a Bad Economy” which I feel will be helpful to a lot of people out there. And I strongly believe in the points stated in that article.

From what I can see, networking and preparing yourselves (in terms of skills and mindset) are 2 very important things before you look for a job. Because if you’re without the proper skills, you will not be attractive in the eyes of the interviewer and might just become one of the hundreds of average job applicants. On the other hand, if you have a negative mindset and do not even believe in yourselves, your low confidence will be very obvious during the interviews. An employer does not want to hire someone who does not even believe in himself. Thus, it’s very important to be optimistic and remain positive….even if you’re suffering from a pay cut or a retrenchment.

Anyway, do have a look at the article and hopefully it can provide some insights in your job hunting.

Good luck and hope it helps.

In 2009, there will be a lot of people with negative thinking. Morale will be at record low. People will begin to feel hopeless as their world comes crumbling down due to retrenchments and bankruptcy.

But is it really that hopeless? Maybe it is, but we shouldn’t let that bring us down and ruin our 2009.

Very meaningful quote from Henry Ford

In my opinion, now is already too late for any ‘fixes’. If anyone tells you they are trying to implement some fixes to improve their business, it’s a lie. I would say that it’s not a fix to improve their business, but a fix to survive. Retrenchments, pay cuts or any cost cutting measures are not meant for ‘improving business’. Quite the contrary. These things are done so that a business can still survive.

That is why I think there are 2 things which every person and every business should do in 2009.

• Survive
• Prepare

The first point is to survive. If we’re not able to survive this cruel 2009 (and probably 2010), then any preparations or improvements will mean nothing. For example, you will need a job and the salary to survive. If you’re jobless now, your priority should not be to improve yourselves or to go for trainings….it should be how you can survive for the next few months. It’s either you get a full time job, or you get a part time job or earn some side income. The objective here is the only and only “to survive”.

The second point comes after you’ve ensured you can survive. It is to prepare yourselves in terms of finance and knowledge. Lead a frugal life and keep as much money as you possible can, and put it as a reserve somewhere. Invest them if you want but never spend it on your WANTs even though there are plenty of promotions and sales this year. You will need that fund to push you to another level once the economy recovers. As for the knowledge, try to improve your skills and exposures by attending trainings, self-studying, doing freelance, networking, etc. The people you know and the skills you’ve acquired now will be very important when the economy recovers. In fact, these might actually be the deciding factor to see whether you are prepared for the next level, or not.

To be honest, most people will spend their time in 2009 and 2010 doing the first thing. These people are actually those who are slightly motivated. Those who are less motivated will just sit there complaining and do nothing. So by doing the first and then the second, you are actually putting yourselves or your business in a very good position to challenge for the top spot when the economy recovers (when companies are hiring again, and when people are willing to spend their money again).

Those are the 2 things that I would advise people to do, and also the things which I myself will do. Because the last thing I want is to miss out on this golden opportunity to make myself known to other people. I don’t think I want to enter the newly recovered economy as a nobody.

Hope it helps.

P/S…….Feel free to check out this useful article from Seth Godin – Slack.

I’ve been saying this for a long long time now and I feel the need to say it again since the people around me are becoming more and more negative each day.

I understand that people are afraid of getting pay cuts (some of my friends are suffering from pay cuts already…some 20%), retrenchments, etc. If I tell you I’m not afraid, then I’m lying. I AM afraid of all those things because like everyone else, I need money to survive and to pay off my bills.

But the thing is, even if we’re worried and being negative about it, will that actually change anything? I doubt. That’s why rather than worrying and doing nothing, it’s better to focus our energy on something more positive. Find alternatives or solutions to our problems. Or it’s something yet to happen, then make some precautionary steps. For example, if you’re being forced to only work 4 days a week, then maybe you can fully utilize the Fridays to do something which gives you some income.

Seriously, the possibilities are endless because whenever we’re faced with such problems, most people will move away or tremble with fear……..leaving a lot of opportunities for us to grab. It’s really up to us whether we can see it and whether we’re willing to grab those opportunities.

And let me tell you something. If you’re always feeling negative, there is absolutely no way you can see those opportunities because you are not thinking on the bright side. Whatever opportunity presented to you will be regarded as too risky and useless. In fact, everything will appear to be negative if you are thinking negative. So change the state of your mind before it drains your energy too much.

I know whatever I say here will be useless because in the end, the only person who can change yourselves is you. If you don’t want to think positively, nobody can help you to change that.

Last but not least, remember 2 things – things happen for a reason and there is no problem in this world which is without a solution.

p/s……… for those with stable jobs, you’re more fortunate than those with pay cuts.

p/s……… for those with pay cuts, you’re better off than those without jobs and have family to feed.

p/s……… for those who are without jobs, you’re better off than people in Africa where food and clean water are rare.

p/s……… and finally…..most of us are better off than those who are suffering from chronic diseases. I was told that one of my friend’s sister is actually counting her time in this world. The last time I met my friend, she was very tired but still able to put on a smile. I don’t know how to help esp since I donno her well…and all I can do is to pray that miracle will happen and her sister will be fine.