How the Recession Will Change the Relationship Between Employees and Employers

For many years now, employees have run the show in the workplace. If they were unhappy with even the smallest of tasks they would just walk out the door and work at the next job down the street. Employees felt it was their right to express themselves through hairstyles, clothing choices and desk or cubicle adornments.

During the next year we will see these choices leaving the employee as the strength and confidence of the employer grows. With more people out of work, and unemployment benefits running out, many more qualified workers will be stepping up to interview for every job. Each one willing to do what an employer asks without question to guarantee their family has a roof over it's head and food on the table.

Employers during the next few years will be cautious, looking for conservative employees who are motivated to work hard. They will also want employees that are conservative in their look as well. Employees with neatly coifed hairstyles, modest jewelry, conservative clothing and hair colored in 'natural' colors will be ahead of the game when applying for jobs. Each business will want to encourage customers in every way possible.

Utilizing employees with multicolored hair, and unusual styles of clothing or visible body art may risk the possibility of offending a potential customer. In this dollar conscious society, offending a potential customer could spell the end of many businesses. A wise business owner will not want to take this chance.

As an employee, you can take steps to make sure that you are irreplaceable to your employer as well as give yourself more potential to be hired in the future if your company goes out of business.

1. Make your workspace professional looking, if you are allowed personal items, limit them to one or two.
2. Arrive to work several minutes early every day.
3. Greet everyone as you walk in with a smile and a hello.
4. Offer to work holiday shifts when they arise, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas if your family is local to allow other employees that need to travel the time off. You will be building rapport with both management and co-workers.
5. If you are unhappy with your work life, or even personal life for that matter, use a Pen Name in your online world. MySpace, Facebook and other networking sites are regularly perused by employers to see if the company name comes up in a positive or negative manner.

Although most employees do not classify themselves as sales persons, in reality, EVERY employee is a sales person. You as an employee are selling the image of the company. Everything you do and say represents that company. Often times those same impressions are given in your off hours away from the company. Think twice before you say something negative. If the company that you work for does not do well, the next round of lay-offs may very well include you!