World Economic Slump and SHEQ
- August 18th, 2010
With the world economic slump it seems to me that we have also entered a definite slump in our SHEQ industry.
Companies are downscaling due to economical reasons which lead to SHEQ personnel being the first to normally fall in the category of being expendable (because it is perceived that we do not add to the bottom-line profit of a company!) – which is of course one of the biggest mistakes that a company can make; this leads to more incidents which leads to a lower employee morale and a decrease in productivity levels.
The Problem:
The whole world is going through this process:
I have people from the UK, United Arab Emirates and many other places asking for employment because they have lost their jobs or have moved there with the hope of immigrating just to realize that there are no jobs available.
The bad news is that a second world economic slump is expected by October this year. Make the most of the situation you are in currently – give it your everything/your best!
Companies are sharing lower employee morale experiences:
I hear about incident statistics increasing, employees who cannot cope with the workload, increase in suicide cases, family murders due to job loss or financial strain, and many more. You are the only one that can make a difference.
If you allow this situation to get you down, it is going to get you under. Focus on increasing your knowledge and skill base, improving the work that you have done already, identifying opportunities to cut cost without compromising quality and making sure you are really contributing to the management system and is not really expendable.
More output is expected from each employee:
Everyone is complaining about workloads. Be thankful that you have a job and is receiving an income. In times like these it is those employees who are prepared to suffer for a while with a smile on their faces that is accelerating at a faster than normal pace.
You will reap the benefits – not now, but in the future. Do not become part of the economic slump by demanding higher salaries, coming late to work, complain because certain benefits are being curbed or that you are doing more than one persons’ job.
If you think you are at the receiving end – think again:
A woman’s’ husband died of a brain tumor three months ago, her two children both have medical conditions, she has no house to live in as from the end of November, there are no fees to pay for schooling, medical, etc. – are you this poorly off?
A gentleman has been high jacked four months ago and has been in a coma ever since – his family is anxiously waiting for results to find out if he will recover and if so, will it be a full recovery – they do not have the finances to pay the medical bills. A father has lost his wife and three children in an instant in a motor vehicle accident.
The Recovery:
Below are examples of motivational quotes for those of you that need an upper. Use each of these – one per day during the next few weeks and lift your own spirit first and then share this with others and try and improve their outlook and morale on life.
Harding Lawrence
“Don’t set compensation as a goal. Find work you like, and the compensation will follow.”
John D. Rockefeller
“The common denominator for success is work.”
Henry L. Doherty
“Plenty of men can do good work for a spurt and with immediate promotion in mind, but for promotion you want a man in whom good work has become a habit.”
William Lyon Phelps
“Whenever it is in any way possible, every boy and girl should choose as his life work some occupation which he should like to do anyhow, even if he did not need the money.”
Sam Ewing
“Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.”
Johnny Carson
“Never continue in a job you don’t enjoy. If you’re happy in what you’re doing, you’ll like yourself, you’ll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined.”
Mahatma Gandhi
“It is the quality of our work which will please God and not the quantity.”
Fernando Flores
“Great work is done by people who are not afraid to be great.”
Harry S. Truman
“I found that the men and women who got to the top were those who did the jobs they had in hand, with everything they had of energy and enthusiasm and hard work.”
Thomas Alva Edison
“Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.”
Jack Welch
“We know where most of the creativity, the innovation, the stuff that drives productivity lies — in the minds of those closest to the work.”
Dennis Gunston
“Anyone who can be replaced by a machine deserves to be.”
Earl Nightingale
“The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are working for somebody else. Job security is gone. The driving force of a career must come from the individual. Remember: Jobs are owned by the company, you own your career!”
William John Bennett
“There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes.”
John Lubbock
“A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work.”
Ann Landers
“Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.”
Charles Schwab
“The man who does not work for the love of work but only for money is not likely to make money nor find much fun in life.”
Margaret Thatcher
“I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but should get you pretty near.”
Dale Carnegie
“Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all you heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours.”
And then finally…
We as SHEQ professionals need to know that we are in a privileged position of saving lives and improving the quality of lives every day.
Very few occupations actually have such a tremendous impact on people and society. Congratulations on all the mile-stones you have reached amidst a lack of management commitment, always a lack of financial resources, poor employee support and many more.
Keep up the good work!
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Hi Christel
I was thinking about career choice the other day and if I’m currently in the right career. I’ve always wanted to work with people and to make a difference in the lives of those who can’t make a difference for themselves.
After reading the last qoute, I once again realized the value of the work that SHEQ professionals do.
Thanx for keeping us motivated and inspired. SHEQ professionals don’t always get this kind of support and motivation from management and therefore we come here.
Keep up the good work.