How to stay employed
There are a lot many tutorials on how to crack interviews and get employed. But today, I'll share a bit of my two cents on how to stay employed, especially for Gen Zs. Having been on both sides of the table and having made a lot of mistakes, I can fairly say that I have the perspectives of both the employer and the employee. In a way, I self attest to being qualified to give this advice.
So the advice - of things you should do as an employee to stay employed:
- Keep your head down and focus on your work.
- Think how your work impacts the organisation, and optimise for that.
- Support your co-workers and maintain a positive environment in the organisation. Don't involve yourself in office politics.
- Deliver more than what is expected out of you...that's how you rise above the ranks.
- And finally, trust the process.
And finally, never challenge your boss in public. Raise your issues with him/her in private. Don't challenge their authority...convey your message in a way that still makes them feel they're in a position of power. Sure, there will be conflicts in the way of progress...but they have to be conveyed in a smart way without disturbing the power dynamics.
One thing to understand here is that organisations are extremely capitalistic and dictatorial organisms. This is the only way they can survive, move the needle and drive momentum. The power circle drives the activities to realise their world view and make money in the process. This is what the organisation was given birth for. Think Apple and Teslas of the world, and even Reliance and Adanis. You can't be democratic and capitalistic at the same time. Not good or bad, just a fact.
Modern orgs might tout about flat hierarchies but let's face it they're just chaos with a lot of pent up dissatisfaction. It might work when the team is small but beyond that...everyone needs to know their place in the organisation, their responsibilities and sometimes it helps to have them know their limitations too.
Another thing I see a lot amongst employees these days is that they think they are better...than their seniors (as per hierarchy not age)....and they would do it better if they were to be in the position. I've felt this way and every other employee feels the same. Now, it can be the case that they are better...that might be true for say 2% of the total population who feels this way. We can call them the outliers. But for the rest of the employees, they just don't have the full picture.
Again, not highlighting what's right or wrong, just speaking facts.