8 traits of the perpetually employed person - In the Trenches

Physician Executive, Jan-Feb, 2003 by Marilyn Moats Kennedy

At least once a year we talk to human resources folk who-ve had to orchestrate organization-wide layoffs. In some cases, thousands walked the plank at one time; in others the layoffs were ongoing and choices as to who would go-and when-had to be made over a period of time.

We asked our sources about the survivors. What characteristics did they have that kept them securely on the payroll? All agreed performance alone was not the criteria. Some stars, especially the high maintenance ones, were cut early with the slugs. Here are eight survivor characteristics of the perpetually employed person (PEP) that our sources described.

1. They're number one (or two) in the department.

They are close enough to the stars to benefit from reflected glory and far away from the also-rans. If they head a department, it's one that succeeds. PEPs usually work at 90 percent capacity so there's room for a visible spurt of speed and increased productivity when needed. They are perceived as constantly improving their managerial skills.

2. They understand and work toward the boss's priorities.

Acute observers, these employees can size up a job and balance boss's agenda with what must be done. Mind reading is both art and science, and PEPs have spent enough time with a boss--and learned enough about the boss's boss via the grapevine--to know the boss's true priorities and to embrace them. The boss knows this and it greatly increases survival. If you had to choose between someone who understood your agenda and someone who was clueless whom would you choose?

3. They are realistic thinkers.

The medical device failed; people couldn't wait not to buy it. The client couldn't wait to complain. The hospital marketing plan reduced revenues rather than increasing them. No one has to tell a PEP the company is in trouble. They offer no complaints or excuses. They accept the fact that failures happen. They fix what can be fixed and move on. They don't excite the grapevine with tales of imminent collapse. They just keep quietly doing the job (although they may have been packed and exploring other opportunities since the first sign of trouble). We see people who've been unconscious when it comes to what's happening to their divisions or departments. Didn't they ever talk to co-workers about the company's financial health? Apparently they only want good news.

4. They keep their lives in balance.

PEPS see work as a part of life, not a substitute for life. They will take continuing education courses to keep current but they also take all their vacation to renew and regenerate themselves. They show a professional balance that makes them seem more grounded than either the stars or the workaholics. They are also judicious about what co-workers know about their private lives (as little as possible).

5. They are not emotionally needy.

For years we've heard about the great achievements of stars. We've heard far less about how high-maintenance such people are. Some have to be handled like movie stars. There are no prima donnas on the survivor list. It requires too much energy to keep them going. In 2003, the tendency is to let someone else have the pleasure of massaging those egos.

6. Their ethics are intact through good and bad.

Tough times are an excellent reason to back stab--and worse. Those who maintain their integrity last longer. One man told of a midlevel manager who had been observed cheating in the cafeteria. With one hand he'd weigh his salad for the cashier while keeping the heavier ingredients--tomatoes, artichokes, dressing--in his other hand. He even broadcast his deception, saying he could get away with it because the minimum-wage worker who checked him out was unlikely to confront him. He was one of the first laid off when the ax fell and his boss even cited his cafeteria thefts as part of management malpractice.

7. They are team players.

Favors are exchanged--everyone owes them and they owe everybody else. One HR manager said that bosses making layoff decisions go first for the loners because getting rid of them does no damage to the body politic. The thinking is "If no one knew she was here, no one will notice when she's gone. Team players who are also mentors are even farther down the layoff list.

8. They like their job.

The most prized characteristic on the list of employees who escape the layoff list is that they really want to stay. This means they are committed and sincerely enthused about doing their job. Attitude still counts and PEPs don't have to fake liking the job. They inflict no guilt on their bosses. Yes, this happens. One of our HR sources told us that he got more requests from managers to intervene with an employee who made the manager feel guilty than he did for actual performance problems.

Have you ever thought that if organizations would just say, "Anyone who wants to leave with a package line up to the left," they might never need a formal layoff? Our sources believe that within the next five years companies will do just that, a sort of periodic cleansing to get rid of those just hanging on.