The Most Asked Question of 2009

No one is bullet-proof. It’s a cut throat economy. Companies have cut the 15% fluff and now are making tough decisions about keeping highly skilled personnel. Tenure, rank, degrees, height, hair color, etc., nothing guarantees your current job in this recession. The Walt Disney Co., a mega house of entertainment, offered severance packages to all its Director level managers and higher. It was the upper echelons of Disney management who were asked to leave first, not the hourly worker. No one is bullet-proof.

With six-figure Disney executives on edge, how are you fairing at your cubicle? Are you at your desk’s edge? Sweating a bit because there’s not much work to do. Everyone wants to keep busy, to be viewed as needed. Thus, the most asked question of 2009 is, "what do I do when I have not much to do?"

Just last year, getting tasks done early was prized. A foggy thought is creeping into America: fake being busy.

Granted, with a smaller task back log, there is more time to review reports with the microscope and the time it took to decipher the dead sea scrolls. Unfortunately, there comes a point when staying on one task too long is a huge negative. Your manager will suspect you’re stalling with a small task assigned last week. Having your boss suspect you of riding the clock is worst than admitting you have no tasks left.

So, again Americans plead, "what do we do when there is not much to do?" The answer is the same winning mind set we had during the fertile economy. Simply stay the course as if in a boom era. Complete your tasks as quickly and accurately as ever. Impress your boss by being highly productive no matter the environment. Frankly, you should be zooming through tasks since you don’t have the pressure of 16 more tasks, stirring in your mental stew. Your focus should be sharper than ever with less meat on your plate.

Work even better and faster is highly counter intuitive advice. You did say you didn’t like being idle, and yes, I’m saying do your work even faster which will likely yield more idle desk time. What the heck kind of advice is that?! Let’s dissect the work scenario some more.

Imagine how your boss would feel if you went to him/her and said, "The task I was assigned is complete. I’ve gone thru it thoroughly twice to be sure. I’m ready for my next assignment. I understand if there are no impeding tasks at this time. If there is none, may we talk about how I may spend my hours?"

If honesty and integrity were a big gem, the person who has the courage to say the above is the Great Star of Africa.

A statement like that shows that no matter what the economic environment, you are here to give your best effort. You were hired by the firm to do a task and do it well. Be proud, you have not faltered. Be even more proud that you did not let fear manipulate your work ethic.

If your manager is curious about your ideas of what to do, perhaps you can suggest tasks which benefit both you and the firm. Here are some ideas:

• Read your Board of Professional Regulations website. On area to view are the violations of the code of ethics. The Florida Board of Professional Regulation posts its disciplinary actions; it’s a liken to wood headlock vise in a medieval village square where the accused are put on display. The summaries are lessons in 1) what constitutes a violation of your license, and 2) the severity of misjudgments. If you are a future PE, these cases are a loud warning. If you do not need a PE license, this will a bit of a courtroom entertainment.
  Read trade journals pertinent to your career. You office lobby probably has a stack of them.
• Offer to do file, thin out file folders, scan files, devise new filing system, etc.
• Do side projects that you see can help the firm. Is the website in need of updating with new photos and project tag lines?
• Ask about how to determine profitability of projects? or other business/operations questions.

Here is today's reality: no one is immune from a lay-off (evidence: Disney Executive Layoffs Feb 2008). However, if you still work as if it’s a bursting economy, your supervisor will appreciate how dedicated you are, how focused you are, how positive your attitude is.

The day when the firm’s numbers sadly leads to your forced lay off, I bet,... no, I know that you will be the first person they call back when the firm's numbers pick up.

Just remember, there are ample people who leave a job and the manager instantly rips their name plate off the wall, right into the trash. Leave your work place with thank you’s, a smile, and hand shakes of certainty that they will ask you back. They will make a shrine of your cubicle, reserving it for your return. Stay the course baby, no matter what economy!

Help us all learn: give examples of productive things you're doing while the work load is low.