If the high turn-over at 10 Downing Street is anything to go by, you should not get too comfortable at your job; you could lose it anytime. Especially in these uncertain economic times. Some people have figured out a way of having their cake and eating if the need ever arises by ‘cushioning’ their career with small actions that can help them get another job if lose their jobs.
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Career cushioning
Also known as recession-proofing your career, this trend involves being open to and prepared for opportunities before you really need them. Career cushioning behaviour includes seeking out new skills to make yourself more employable, reaching out to contacts to see what jobs are going and brushing up your resume. LinkedIn data showed that users added 365 million skills to their profiles over the last 12 months, up 43% year-over-year. Career expert at LinkedIn, Charlotte Davies explained:
Put simply, it’s an insurance policy to set [workers] up for success. Employees are not changing their view or attitude to their current role, but they are taking a pragmatic approach to the fact they need to be prepared for change in an uncertain climate.
Coping strategy
There is a growing sense of job insecurity across the UK workforce with Glassdoor recording a 101% increase in the number of times layoffs and redundancy were mentioned on the platform in the last 12 months. ‘Inflation’ has been named Glassdoor’s Word of the Year, with mentions tripling since 2021, according to Evening Standard. For Dr Bex Hewett, assistant professor in the Department of Organization and Personnel Management at Rotterdam School of Management, career cushioning is a classic coping strategy.
When people are faced with stress they either put their head in the sand and pretend it’s not happening … or they try to fix the problem. With a recession, there is nothing they can do about it except prepare for potential job loss. This makes them feel more in control, which will reduce their stress.
Some of the ways you can cushion your career is to:
- Keep your CV up-to-date
- Learn new skills
- Build and maintain your networks in your field
Sources used:
Evening Standard: Why ‘career cushioning’ is taking over from ‘quiet quitting’
LinkedIn: Are you 'career cushioning'?
Daily Mail: The rise of 'career cushioning': Everything you need to know about the controversial new workplace trend gripping Australia
