Many comapanies are trying at this very moment to determine how to maintain the skills within their company whilst balancing shareholder interests of obtaining the best possible financial results.

The lessons learnt through the last couple of recessions is companies that slash their workforces may enjoy the benefits of short term financial success but ultimately lose more money in the long term through the shedding of its best and brightest talent.

So these days more creative ways are being implemented to try and retain as many staff as possible.  Salary freezes, reduced hours and even reduced pay are used today instead of mass lay offs.

But oftentimes companies simply do not have a choice as it is not prudent to maintain head count in the face of oblivion. The auto industry comes to mind as a prime example as does the finance industry.I

nevitably, high level decisions about headcount filter down to managers who may be asked to reduce their numbers by a percentage.When this happens, you want your manager to be feeling your love!That is, the most influential person that may have a direct and highly weighted influence over whether you stay or are laid off in the near term is your very own boss.

Given that, if you have been spending your time trying to impress your boss’s boss or the COO or the CEO or you have been the one to back talk, snigger or otherwise embarrass your boss in public forums such as team meetings or e-mails, you may find that you don’t have any support when you most need it - that is when your boss is deciding who to give the pink slips to. 

Coming next - HOW to love your boss.