by Jack Guarnieri, PinballSales.com & ShuffleAlley.com

Hang On!

It's Going to Be a Bumpy Ride

It's rough out there, and many people today in almost every industry seem worried about their jobs. Every day we hear about big layoffs or businesses closing. Some really famous names are leaving the landscape, so how can you avoid the possibility of being laid off and weather the rough economic storm?

The first thing I would suggest is a reality check. Is the company you are working for a stable company and financially sound? That's a hard one because Bank of America was a rock, and in the middle of the night it received billions of dollars in bailout money to stay afloat. All of the rules have been rewritten, and everything in the world has seemingly changed. Employees can usually tell if the company they work for is solvent. One thing about people for sure is that they talk. The problem is that sometimes they talk even more if they don't know anything and make up for it by telling trade secrets about the company in an effort to look smarter or in the know.

You may also see a change in little things, a dirtier office with the cleaning service scaled back or discontinued. No customer conveniences like free coffee in the lobby or promotional giveaway items or a cut in advertising budgets.

Not all layoffs are the same either. You may see layoffs in sales when sales slow and layoffs in support staff if there is less to support, but look out if there are layoffs in your research and development or product development division. When you see that, the company is done because that's where the new products will come from to pull you out of a selling slump. In a neighboring township where I live, Howell, N.J., the local government has ordered employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid furloughs through the remainder of the year to close a multi-million dollar budget gap. Unfortunately, the mortgage, car loan and other bills do not stop for the 12 weeks. So if you have a job, you should actually try to hold on to it and make yourself more useful, productive and valuable. That way, if the budget axe swings it will avoid hitting you.

Here are my top ten signs your job may be in trouble:

- If you have been coasting along doing just the minimum: that may have worked fine when your department was larger, and you could fly under the radar with other people picking up the slack, but not anymore.

- If you are taking excessive sick, personal, vacation or other off days: superiors can see that the company works fine without you when you are out, so why should they pay you when you are there?

- If you are disruptive, uncooperative or debate everything put in front of you: life is too short for that kind of behavior. Unless you have the only copy of the formula to make Coca-Cola memorized in your head, you can be replaced with someone who has a better temperament.

- If you believe that you are better than everyone else and have the attitude to match that: when inventory time rolls around, you take the days off or the Monday after the big game on TV is meant for staying home. Look out because you will be spending more than just Mondays at home.

- If you make more out of your job than it really is: those who will not take instruction from authority and stuck in saying "we always did it this way" are in danger of extinction in this rapidly changing world.

- If you are almost ready to retire and figure that the company owes you the last year or so with less production and less work output: you are done. Most management today has no loyalty to the past.

- If you are not a team player: you never volunteer for an assignment. You always leave exactly at 5 p.m. You never answer your cell phone or emails on the weekends when others may be working or have a question for you. If you don't care, why should management care about you?

- If you feel entitled: you were there when the business started 35 years ago. You know all of the company's secrets and some of the secrets of the management as well, and you have made all of that well-known throughout the years. You are doomed. Nobody needs you to be there today based on your past achievements as you were already compensated for them.

- If you are disloyal to your company: you gossip about everything and everyone. You trust no one so no one trusts you. You are suspicious of everything. Management has no time to baby-sit you. There are many other people who can do your job better with less downside.

- If you stand by and watch the train crash when you could have prevented it: you hold on to information as if it is golden nuggets instead of helping others and trying to build them up. You are busy trying to make them look stupid and work hard to tear them down in an effort to prop yourself up.

The bottom line to all this is just that, the bottom line. When companies are making money, there is less likelihood that anyone pays attention to these types of people. They tolerate them, and the business goes along. When things get tight, management looks under rocks for ways to save money. They should be looking at their businesses that way all the time, but it's human nature to let your guard down.

Things may get worse for many before they get better. Everyone needs to always do the best they can do at everything they do. Giving 100% is expected. As an employee of a company, you need to do more to make your value known and to make a difference in the profitability of the company. The pool of unemployed people is growing deeper. There are many educated, talented, pleasant people out of work today. Why should any employer settle for any employee that has any of the traits I mentioned? They shouldn't and they won't, not in this economy.

Jack Guarnieri started fixing electro-mechanical pinball machines in 1975 and has been involved in every phase of the coin-op game business since then. He operated a substantial game route in Brooklyn, N.Y., developed amusement centers and was called in as a consultant to manage Mondial Distributing and State Sales in New Jersey. In 1999, he founded PinballSales.com to sell coin-op to the home market. In 2002, he founded ShuffleAlley.com and released the Parker Bohn III Pro Bowler game, reviving the shuffle alley. His positive attitude, honest insights and opinions have made him a popular figure in the trade. While managing and growing his businesses, he still consults inside and outside the industry, and his marketing, promotional and business management expertise are widely sought. He's very active in his church, community and charitable causes as well. You can learn more at his websites (www.PinballSales.com and www.ShuffleAlley.com) or by phoning him at 866/323-JACK. Email is Jack@Pinballsales.com.

Jack Guarnieri started fixing electro-mechanical pinball machines in 1975 and has been involved in every phase of the coin-op game business since then. He operated a substantial game route in Brooklyn, N.Y., developed amusement centers and was called in as a consultant to manage Mondial Distributing and State Sales in New Jersey. In 1999, he founded PinballSales.com to sell coin-op to the home market. In 2002, he founded ShuffleAlley.com and released the Parker Bohn III Pro Bowler game, reviving the shuffle alley. His positive attitude, honest insights and opinions have made him a popular figure in the trade. While managing and growing his businesses, he still consults inside and outside the industry, and his marketing, promotional and business management expertise are widely sought. He's very active in his church, community and charitable causes as well. You can learn more at his websites (www.PinballSales.com and www.ShuffleAlley.com) or by phoning him at 866/323-JACK. Email is Jack@Pinballsales.com.