Apathy Will get you Laid Off: A Wake Up Call

Sometimes it’s hard to care about your job. When you’re sitting in a cubicle for the majority of the day and your work is a small part of a larger mechanism, it can become discouraging to continue to grind it out for the long run.

But what happens when you’re bored at your job and stop caring?

We live in a culture of the mega corporation–of “Office Space” without the wit or the charm. Our parents and grandparents did a lot of what is known today as “field work,” but for the white-collar graduate today, this is probably not the case.

The reality is the majority of us find ourselves stuck at an office for eight hours a day, five days a week. It’s often hard to stay active and positive because work can become dull. Day to day doesn’t vary by much and so you find yourself in a never-ending loop of monotony.

Apathy in general is a pretty poisonous attribute to possess, but when you apply it to your career it could have devastating effects. Articles about lay-offs will say that it isn’t always your fault, and that sometimes company cutbacks can jeopardize your position. This is true, as corporations regularly go through cycles of staff reduction and cutting costs. However, by being lazy or apathetic, you are ensuring that you will be in the first round of layoffs. Doing the bare minimum is not the best strategy to employ, even at a corporation that is “too big to fail.”

Care about your work. When you care about the product you are creating or the service you are providing, it’s reflected in the output. This can go for anyone, from the service-industry employee to the high-powered attorney working on a claim. The more you care about your work, the better the product will be. When you cease to care about what you are doing, how can you expect your clients or customers to care about what you are providing?

Be visible with your achievements. Caring about your work is not the only thing you need to do. You must ensure that you are also visibly showing your value to those around you. If you are an invaluable member of the team and if you possess skills or a worth ethic above the rest, there is a good chance you will be the last person standing after people are let go. Take credit for your work; after all, you worked hard to achieve the results.

Always Network. Networking is also crucial if you want to avoid having to look for another job. While it isn’t a sure way to avoid losing your job, it could mean that a superior will put in a good word for you. Executives who may have never met you will likely be making the final decisions, so if they have a good impression of you, it could save your job.

Ultimately, there are a variety of reasons for which a person could get laid off. There could be a merger or acquisition that liquidates your entire department; years of losses could mean the need for staff reduction; or perhaps your company is relocating its home office. Regardless, when times are rough and people are evaluated, it’s seldom the very best who are forced to leave. When corporations are evaluating, they are not only looking at the bottom line, but also what individuals can bring to the organization. If you are making the company more money than you are costing it, you probably won’t be let go. If you are apathetic, unknown, and lazy, the decision will be obvious.