We, humans love stability. In most events, we tend to rely on the flow rather than preparing ourselves for unforeseen circumstances. Although visionary people never settle, but when you are an integral part of something, relaxation follows— we let go of our fear of losing and take the situation for granted. Little do we understand, that this is the moment we let our guard down and open ourselves to vulnerability. But looking forward to every potential change is stressful enough and not a good habit, in my opinion, still, being prepared for the next move beforehand always pays off.
Oftentimes, I talk about my workplace. Unfortunately, it’s full of surprises. Being a consumer-centric business, nobody knows when it will get overwhelmed by the crowd. So, we like to stay prepared all the time. So do our employers. At least he tries his best, I guess. But sometimes he failed and we had to manage understaffed. Not a pleasant experience anyway.
And it has suffered us many weeks, going above the bar to maintain standards and deadlines. Perhaps, the most prominent thing we colleagues foster is watching one other’s back. Sometimes it takes a toll, but once over, the smile on our faces shows how proud we are of each other. And we expect nothing but legitimate appreciation from our employer; something that hardly knocks our doors. Pheww….
Anyway, fortune was about to smile on us— the announcement of increasing base salary from the government was exciting enough. It is expected to roll out from next month, so, more pay for the same hours. Exciting for us, but employers are feeling the opposite. I guess many businesses are planning something to cover the extended expenditure, so is our boss. Hire and fire. It has begun this week; rotating duties of every employee and testing their potential, hiring new personnel etc.
But it seems to me the boss is trying to figure out whom he can use to handle two stations instead of one. It takes a no-brainer to understand the motif though. And a few of my colleagues are already worried. They used to do the lightest tasks, but now, they are challenged; afraid of losing their stations to freshers as they join. The order is right from the boss, so, cannot refuse. But they were reluctant to hand over their stations even in the last week; thought about who would replace them as everyone was already assigned to their designated responsibilities. Look at them now….
Things escalated this Monday when we had more people than necessary. So, my colleagues with general tasks, they are the most worried ones— reason is simple, freshers can easily replace them, not the specialised roles. Still, we cannot take these specialised roles for granted— when situations demand, even freshers can challenge themselves to learn them in a short time; you can never underestimate a talented candidate.
I have witnessed people getting replaced in a matter of weeks, even after being a specialist. It happened in my last job, he trained a fresher who was supposed to assist him in lightening the workload. But when the boss figured out the potential, also a chance to cut expenditure, my specialist colleague was replaced by the new employee; nobody expected that but it happened. Just like that.
So, the lesson?
You are always replaceable, don’t take your position for granted. Prepare yourself for any unforeseen challenges, utilise every opportunity to add to your skillset but hone your existing skills to a superior level. If you do so, maybe your employer will think twice before replacing you. Even if you are replaced, your tendency to strive for more will land you in a greater opportunity you cannot refuse.
Ⓒ mine