Denial is Not Just a River in Egypt
Humans do this better than any other creature.
Nietzsche once said that “people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.” Nailed it.
The Wall St. Journal recently ran an article about how it’s almost impossible to get fired in the current job climate. Well, maybe.
That depends on where you work.
So far in 2022 more than a few companies have had mass layoffs, or RIFs in industry parlance (RIF = Reduction In Force). Peloton, Carvana, Robinhood, Reef — all have laid off hundreds or even thousands of workers.
Meta (Facebook) is under a hiring freeze, and Wells Fargo won’t release the number of mortgage brokers it let go.
There are even websites to track layoffs and rumors. They aren’t much use other than as a way to vent for those let go or disgruntled.
But here’s my point: layoffs happen. They are happening right now, today, maybe to someone you know. If you’ve never been laid off, congrats.
But don’t believe it won’t happen to you. It will — it’s when, not if.
The truth, whether you want to hear it or not, is that business exists to make money for the share holders. Finance 101. If that goal is in jeopardy — for any reason — changes will be made.
Unless it’s your company, you likely have little to no input about those changes. It’s even more likely that you don’t even know they are coming. You’re not in control of any of it.
The current job market is already changing and soon more people will be looking for fewer jobs. It’s coming. Are you ready? Or is denial your favorite hangout?
Once the labor pendulum swings back — and make no mistake, it is doing so now–what will happen? Employers will work to claw back all the perks they’ve offered to get people on board. Pay? I hope you got a solid salary because that won’t be increasing for a while.
Here’s the thing — working for someone else is an exercise in denial. You trade your time for a paycheck. You put your future into the hands of a stranger: the CEO, the board, who knows? But guaranteed they have a different goal than you.
Most people who are afraid of flying fear the loss of control. Yet employees relinquish control over their livelihood every day, trading the one asset (time) that can’t be replaced for money.
We work long hours, weekends, and do our best to do do our best in the hopes of getting promoted. Once that happens we do the same thing, rinse, repeat. Title, salary bump, blah blah blah.
The difference between kick-ass and slack-ass is three percent. That’s the typical COLA (cost of living adjustment). Work weekends, late hours, hit your numbers, get that bump. Woo-hoo! Or don’t, and give up…3 percent.
The most amazing aspect of this scenario is the consensus that owning a business is riskier than working for someone else. You’re in control, your work directly benefits you, success means you win. But working for someone else with different goals, who keeps you in the dark, and will let you go without a second thought — no risk there, right?
