Times... they are a changin'

In every life, change will come. The same can be said for every job, every company. But when change is large, outside of your control, AND you work at home, you have the perfect storm for heads to explode. If you're company is going through something like a bankruptcy, loss of business, closure of a product line, merger, acquisition, etc., etc., every employee's first reaction is: What does this mean for my job?

When you work at home, this is multiplied exponentially. Whenever someone works at home, they inevitably wonder about whether people will remember them, or if they will be a forgotten lost boy off in Neverland. Most people get over that quickly, especially if they manage their PR as recommended in a previous post. But, when a large portion of the company begins to panic, the at-home fears come back with gusto.

Suddenly every at home person is wondering if they are an even bigger target for losing their job.

So how do you deal with this? How do you cope and not drive yourself insane? How do you protect yourself? Not all that different than you would if you were in the office. It may just take some additional effort. Here are some tips:

• Be a rock star at your job. Don't let worry interfere with your ability to delivery on time, high quality, low cost results that wow your customers. Execution matters most!
• Toot your own horn. Don't be an ego-maniac jerk, but take credit where it is due, and make sure others know about your rock star contributions.
• Toot the horns of others. Likewise, give credit where it is due. Help promote those around you and they will return the favor. You also illustrate your ability to be a team player by being a bit humble.
• Network! Don't stay in your bubble. Talk to your team, your leaders, your peers, your customers. Make as many connections as possible. Join the Dog Lovers chat board even! Get people to recognize your name.
• Stay positive. It's easy to be negative, and studies show you gain "friends" through negativity with pile-ons and sympathy. But that's not the energy you want to put out into the universe. The powers that be will pick up on it, and it ruins your cred. 
• Be prepared. Don't jump ship, but do get things in order in case you need to. Update your resume, get your references, increase your savings. If you have to jump, at least have a cushy place to land.
• Keep managing your PR

Most importantly: Don't fill your head full of worry over something you cannot control.

You can only control what you do. Whatever comes down from on-high will come down, whether you want it to or not. You can't stop the snowball from rolling down the hill. You can, however, prepare for what you might do if it does.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.