If you had to downsize staff-would you let go Mary or Ted?

(Readers: This is a post I just wrote for www.JobWorkTeam.com and I thought it would be applicable to to the PR and freelancing world. I’d love your thoughts!)

We’ve discussed appearing desperate in interviews.  We’ve addressed how one shouldn’t talk about grievances about past employers and employees during the job interview and today, I’m going to talk about fairness on the job or better yet the lack of it.

This is a difficult post to write for I would like to say that companies treat employees fairly.  If I’m living in a glass is half full world, then I would say that I believe most companies try their best to be fair to their employees.  But, at the end of the day, every employee knows that the HR department is there to protect the company and not the employee. There’s just no way around that fact.  It’s written into the DNA of business.

If you have worked for any period of time, I’m sure you have witnessed some things that just made no sense and thus, you had to internally process it and move forward the best you could for there are some things that just aren’t fair like…

• When you hear that a job/promotion you were up for and should have gotten, ultimately went to a friend of the boss who had no prior experience.
• Or you’ve conducted several interviews for a position and then hear they’ve put the job on hold.
• Or you’ve worked your tail end off and you’ve been promised a promotion that ultimately goes to the worker that you’ve been cleaning up after.
• Or the company is downsizing by 3 percent, so they let you go and kept your boss who knows barely nothing.
• Or when they change your shift and suddenly, you the one with tenure, has to work nights again.

I was talking to a friend about this phenomenon today…the phenomenon of when good people are let go and weaker ones get to stay.  And as such, he reminded me of the last episode of the 70′s hit TV show “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” where new management takes over the WJM-TV station.  The new executives fire the entire staff, except the klutzy, tongue-tied, vain, buffoonish newscaster Ted Baxter.  I thought how true that episode was.  How many times have you seen great people be let go and the better “sweet talkers,” less experienced people get to stay. It’s just the way of life.

In another side note, I had a different discussion with a fellow freelancer and he made another astute point that I never really thought of before. He recently spoke to a class of freelancers and he gave some great sage advice.  He told them the truth.  He said that we all have competition in our fields and usually it isn’t the best one who gets hired…it’s the one that the boss (client) wants to hang out with. He emphasized the fact that if the client is comfortable with you, then they will keep hiring you.  And you know what there is some truth to that.

So, when you’re on the job, expect that some unfairness will come your way and quickly learn how to brush that off.  Remember who you are and what you bring to the table and forget about that issue as best you can.  One tip that will help you stay at the job longer is my second point today – have a comfortable relationship with your boss. Be the go-to person when things are topsy turvy in his life. Help alleviate stress – be there for him/her as a support.  It will go a long way and if she/he loses their job, then they will want to hire you at their next position.  Why? Because that’s the fair thing to do.