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Employees have been requested to present their best performance in work no matter the situation and condition. They have to work hard, control their behaviour, be honest, full of dedication, etc. Year by year there are a lot of increasing targets that they have to achieve that have been set by the company. In normal conditions, when all economic factors were increasing positively and brought a good business atmosphere to companies, this could be considered as a challenge or even a chance for employees to show and achieve their best performance at work. The competition was healthy and promising. Increasing salaries and even bonuses seem easy to get.

However, in reality, the present condition is not that perfect. Right now global crisis disaster has caused a bad impact on many business aspects. Starting from mismanagement financial policy in USA in the property business then spread by issue about the untrustworthy banks and other financial institution business almost all around the world, this caused people and companies to prefer to keep their money instead of investing it. Moreover, with the domino effect, the global market is slowing, many companies get decreasing orders, even cancelations from their buyers, selling targets cannot be achieved, and companies have to reduce their production that automatically will have the effect of declining their income. Many companies start to make extreme efficiency policies. As the worst effect for employees, companies begin to think about reducing their employees.

The question is what companies and employees have to do or prepare to face this real situation.

When business was running well, companies have enjoyed their employee’s hard work and dedication for years, moreover, for some of them, they have been giving their best work, dedication and loyalty from the beginning when company been started. Then, the crisis came, companies should take a part to prepare its employees instead of doing nothing and making sudden decision to reduce the employees. Companies, as the employer, have to make decision of reducing their employees as the last option in its efficiency policy during this global crisis. There are lots of other policies that can be done before we choose reducing as the option. Efficiency policy in using electricity, reducing in customer’s entertainment program, the use of email than telephone or fax, or, even postpone the raising salary program and bonuses, are some ideas for company to implement as part of their policies during this crisis. However, when it has to be done, a company has to make really careful consideration, honest and fair judgement before it decides to release some of the employees. Objective judgement should be applied. If necessary, transparency can be considered to be done in order to avoid any destructive suspicion among all the employees which could have a negative influence on the whole company’s performance and create more losses. Besides, subjective and unfair judgement can make a company lose its good employees and hire low performance employees as the rest.

In preparing the employees to face the above situation, a company at least has to inform the employees about the company’s condition. Inform the employees and explain them about the situation. By doing this, at least the employees will know and, hopefully, will understand if the company has to make the decision to make cuts. As part of the preparation, for example, companies also can give some training to the employee to have their own small business or be an entrepreneur. Perhaps, after the crisis they can work together again as supplier or customer. Besides, all these noble efforts could bring good reputation for companies and free advertising.

On the other hand, as employees, we should not lose our hope in this situation. As long as the redundancy decision has still not been made and done, we still have to show our best dedication to our work. We should not give up. By showing our best effort perhaps the company will see that we still deserve and are worthy to be employed.  If company had to choose to make some people redundant, at least we would not be chosen as a result of our mistakes, failures or bad reputation. Together with that, we also have to keep our good relation with our colleagues. Competition still has to be running fairly. It means that we should not be suspicious each other, no cheating or deception. If we are separated in the present company, perhaps we will meet on another occasion. Or, perhaps we will need their help in the future. Anyway, there is no harm in keeping good relation with people.

 Being released from work (in a company) is not the end of the world.  Many people survive and live. Global crisis is a disaster but it will pass and life must go on. Many people got better careers in other companies and also there were new entrepreneurs created in crisis. We just have to be prepared and seek any possibilities. It is necessary to use every chance and opportunity, acknowledge our strength, threat and weakness, and then we can decide what we will do next.

Finally, we have to be sure that the crisis will pass although we do not know when it will be and nobody can guarantee that it will not happen again. Crisis comes and goes but it never stays forever. Every crisis creates problem but we have to be optimistic that every problem has its own solution and period. It depends on us to treat crisis as a disaster or as a chance. If we gave up and claimed as disaster, we will lose our hope and chance. We will lose our hope to be recovered and lose our chance to live better. On the other hand, if we treat this as a chance, we will be motivated to survive and reach our better life and success. We have to work harder and keep trying our best effort during this hard time. It is true that there will be obstacles ahead, but doesn’t every successful person have the same experience?

Author is currently studying Marketing in Kingston University, London.