The world of work is facing more challenges than ever before. It is not just that people are finding it difficult to get jobs; many are also being laid off from the jobs they already have. Some organizations have even developed a rigid preference for young employees. Behind this is not merely the desire to save money by paying lower salaries, but also the belief that younger people are more productive. It is particularly painful when someone works in an organization for a certain period of time but still fails to succeed or progress there.
Some organizations treat their employees as ‘disposable workers’. We know what ‘disposable’ means- people who are thrown away once their usefulness is over. The organization needs the employee’s skills and experience, but once it has extracted everything it can from them, the employee is no longer considered necessary. Or the organization simply hires someone else to take their place.
There are some ways to understand whether your organization sees you as a disposable worker. You may be given new responsibilities. But are you continuously being assigned only the same kind of work? If so, not only are you failing to grow in your career there, your career growth is actually being hindered.
If the company is not prepared to help you learn new things or provide you with new opportunities, understand that it is interested not in your growth, but only in making use of your abilities. Let us look at some ways to get out of this situation.
Learn new skills. If you work with computers, for example, learn to use new software and technologies.
Find out whether the work assigned to you is something that another person could easily do in your place. If the job you are doing is one that someone else could perform better than you after receiving some training, your situation is not promising, and your job is not secure either.
Therefore, you need to make an effort to become someone whom the organization cannot easily replace. Here too, developing new skills is crucial- skills that enable you to solve problems and implement decisions.
If all you receive are instructions about what work to do and you are never given a place in important decisions or discussions, understand that you are not a key part of that organization.
In such circumstances, instead of asking yourself, “What can I do?”, change your thinking to, “What can I do better?” Introducing new ideas, finding solutions to problems and taking initiative can all help make you indispensable to the organization.
If you work well but see no reflection of your efforts in your performance rating, promotion or salary increase, it means that the organization does not truly value you.
Sometimes, even when the salary is low, the recognition and appreciation received from an organization can provide greater satisfaction. If you do not receive even that, do not hesitate to move to another organization where your contribution is recognized and you are respected.
If thoughts such as “If I speak up, I’ll lose my job” or “I’m already this old; will I be able to find another job?” constantly haunt you, you are in a dangerous situation. It indicates that you have lost confidence in yourself.
As long as you remain in a job out of fear of losing it, there will be no real growth in your career. Therefore, instead of staying out of fear, you need to increase your own effectiveness and strive to become someone whose value the company or your superiors cannot deny.
For that, keep rebuilding and renewing your career continuously. Identify and develop new skills. Become a professional. Keep yourself aware of new opportunities in the world of work.
