Job death is not a bad thing. It is a part of your progress. Once you are dead, just get on with your life.
When your job is dead you have a decision to make: keep it or leave. If you keep it, perform CPR on your job whenever possible. If you decide to leave, check for rigor mortis before you give up hope.
Signs of job death and rigor mortis:
- Dilbert cartoons posted over the company goals
- No one notices your 2 hour bathroom breaks 3 times a day
- Computer solitaire used more than all other applications combined
- No raises in more than 2 years even for your boss’s mistress
- You try to organize a union and there already is one
- Surgery required on bitten tongue after your annual review
- Quality program of the month comes from a federal agency
- A job with the State Department of School Taxes sounds exciting
- Members of the beef and whine lunch club get food poisoning
- Spouse uses an electric cattle prod to push you out the door in the morning
CPR for your job:
- Learn new skills and pay for it yourself
- Turn in weekly, monthly and quarterly job reports to your boss and possibly his boss
- Go to lunch with enthusiastic people, find out why they are that way, contribute
- Get involved with Toastmasters – guaranteed excitement and comedy, some of it on purpose.
- Find out everyone’s birthday and decorate their cubicle
- Ask the people everyone respects how you can make a bigger difference
- Help a customer without permission
There is always something you can do. What is it?