Cisco announced this week it plans to layoff 12,000 workers or 20% of the equipment manufacture’s global workforce. This announcement came on the heels of Intel announcing in April it plans to layoff 12,000 workers or 11% of its workforce. Following this trend, across Silicon Valley staff and budget cut backs are happening across the board.
What does this mean for talent? It’s time to sharpen your skills and prepare to make a transition. If you are in the midst of a layoff, you don’t want to be idle or fall into despair. Right now is the time to be super proactive and aggressively move forward and source for opportunities elsewhere. For corporations, internally, it requires coaching employees and departments through these transitions because layoffs create a climate of fear, which impedes worker productivity. If these transitions are not effectively led and implemented, then the company experiences a series of set backs.
Finding a way to create a clear transition, whether you are the one in the hot seat or the manager leading the department through a pivot or cutback, requires a well-planned and executed strategy. We see the worst set backs occurring when there is not a plan in place, which leaves employees and departments flailing and ultimately failing. It can take a long time to regain the lost ground and recover from a layoff. Digital workers, we live in very turbulent times. You need to be constantly proactively managing your career. Right now is a time to sit up and be alert, actively chart your course, steer your career, and seek out help. With the right strategy in place, you can thrive in the midst of a layoff and effectively move yourself and company FORWARD.
Caroline Stokes is founder of FORWARD Human Capital Solutions. FORWARD does things differently for people in digital organisations who demand inspiring talent solutions for transformative results. You can follow Caroline on Twitter @theFORWARDco.
For further information on FORWARD, international talent acquisition + first 90 days coaching, leadership coaching and team coaching go to Website | LinkedIn | Blog | Facebook.
