Dear Stephen,
I work in sales for a contract furniture manufacturer in the Grand Rapids area, and I have friends in the industry throughout Michigan and in Muscatine, Iowa. It is only early November, and several people I know have already lost their jobs. Some were having a difficult sales year, but others seemed to be doing well. A few worked for businesses that were recently acquired. What bothers me is how surprised they were. These are experienced people who thought they knew where they stood.
My numbers are decent, although I am not having a record year. Nothing has been said about my position, but hearing about my friends has made me nervous. My spouse thinks I should quietly start looking. A colleague says I am worrying unnecessarily because no company wants to let people go right before Thanksgiving or Christmas. Is this when companies decide who will not be coming back next year? Should I be doing something now, or am I letting other people’s situations get into my head?
Signed, Hoping to Make It to January
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Dear Hopeful,
Listen to your spouse. The colleague who says nobody gets fired before the holidays will not be making your mortgage payment if you get the dreaded termination email. I know of someone who was fired on Christmas Eve. Yes, Christmas Eve. The Christmas tree in the lobby is not a job guarantee, and neither is the speech about how you are all one big family. You can be a beloved family member in the holiday email and an eliminated position in the January budget. Get your résumé ready.
I am not telling you that you will be fired or that most firings happen in November and December. I am telling you that while you are deciding who is coming for Thanksgiving, your employer may be deciding who is coming back in 2027. Disappointing sales, pressure to improve profits, and overlapping responsibilities after an acquisition can all put a position under review. Some decisions involve your performance. Others involve people you have never met deciding what your department should cost. “They would never do that to me” is not a career plan.
Since you mentioned Michigan and Iowa, consider the November 3 earnings call from HNI Corporation (NYSE: HNI). Management used the word “synergies” when discussing the financial benefits of bringing HNI and Steelcase together. Asked about additional savings, management pointed to purchasing, logistics, and changes to its operating network, following progress on administrative expenses. Here is my reaction: “synergies” is such a pleasant word until you start wondering whether you are one. That discussion was not an announcement of holiday layoffs, and those savings do not all mean job cuts. But a company can be optimistic about its future while continuing to change how it operates. Employees should understand that both things can be true.
The buyer may love your brand, your products, and your dealer network. That does not mean it wants everybody who came with them. Picture two regional sales executives covering the same geography, calling on overlapping accounts, and now working for the same parent company. Both may be talented, well liked, and making their numbers. Somebody may still ask whether one person could cover the territory. That is when “an exciting new chapter” becomes a very short meeting. Surviving the acquisition announcement does not mean you have survived every decision that follows it.
There can be opportunities, too. HNI also discussed selling its open-line brands across its dealer networks. If I worked in sales there, I would be thinking about how my relationships could help that effort. Wherever you work, do you understand where the owners want to go, or are you still explaining how things used to be? Find out which businesses they intend to grow and what they expect from you. Your brand’s hundred-year history may look wonderful on the showroom wall, but it does not tell you who will be on the payroll next March.
You describe your numbers as “decent.” According to whom? You, your boss, or the person reviewing the budget? A project on a designer’s board is not a purchase order, and a dealer saying “we love you” is not a booking. If your biggest opportunity has been “coming next quarter” since last spring, find out how management views your performance. Projects get delayed, specifications get changed, and budgets get cut. Those are legitimate explanations, but you still need to show what you are doing to bring in business. Do not assume someone upstairs will make your case for you.
If you are counting on a year-end bonus, stop spending it in your head and read your agreement and the company’s written bonus policy. Understand how it is earned, when it is payable, and what happens if your employment ends. If you are let go, do not automatically accept that everything you earned disappears with your email address. The terms and applicable law matter. Get qualified advice if there is a dispute. The colleague who told you nobody gets fired before Christmas may not be your best source on compensation, either.
Now, stop worrying about which headhunters have your résumé and find your own darn job. Yes, a headhunter is telling you that. Employers hire us to fill specific positions; we do not create an opening because your résumé arrives. You know this industry. You know manufacturers, dealers, competitors, and people who have watched you work for years. Pick up the phone. Tell them what you can contribute and ask for a conversation. Sending your résumé to twenty recruiters is different from conducting a job search. If an employer hires you directly without a recruiting fee, you might even negotiate some of those savings into a signing bonus and put it in your own pocket. First, give the employer a reason to want you. Which territory did you grow? What accounts did you open? How did your dealer and A&D relationships turn into revenue? Those accomplishments belong on your résumé. “Attended NeoCon” is not an accomplishment. What happened after you came home?
Do this discreetly, on your own time, while continuing to do your job. Being prepared does not mean becoming the office rumor department. And call those friends who were let go. Make an introduction, return a message, and help where you can. This is a small industry, and people remember who stayed in touch after their company email stopped working. If your own position is eliminated, your experience and relationships still belong to you. Losing a job does not mean you have lost your value.
I want you to enjoy Thanksgiving and have a happy holiday season. I also want you to stop treating January as a promise somebody made to you. Your employer is making plans for next year, and you should be doing the same. Have your résumé ready, make your calls, and know what you bring to another company. “Synergies” may sound lovely on an earnings call. It sounds different when you have to explain it at your own dinner table.
Stephen