An important thing you can do for your career is pay attention to context beyond your task list. What is happening in your company, your community, your industry or the economy at large? No job is an island and those Silicon Valley tech layoffs probably will mean something to your job.

If you’re an agency, consultant or small business owner, you are probably watching the run of tech layoffs. Having been through the dot com burst and the 2008 recession, I’ve learned a thing or two about how to be a good person and run a good business during times of deep cuts. My fundamental lesson? If you do the right thing, the Karma comes back around to you. The more you give, the more you get. You can do well by doing good.

Stay Informed

Your city probably has a local business publication. Now is the time to subscribe to their text alerts, emails and print or online editions. Few things are as bad as going into a client call uninformed. It’s mortifying to ask how their day is going only and finding out they announced layoffs, were acquired, or fired their CEO and you didn’t know about it. 

Genuinely Care

If you have venture-backed clients, know that your main contact is probably concerned about getting laid off right now. They may be more than a little stressed. They may want to only see results that position them in the best light. Your work is a reflection fo their work. Meaning, anything perceived as a miss on their part today could result in them being out of a job tomorrow.

That means you need to be a little more attentive. A little faster to respond. More willing to go the extra mile to deliver great results.  From a financial standpoint, if your advocate is gone, you may be gone next. From a decent human standpoint, it’s the right thing to do. 

Recently, we’ve received calls from connections who have investors breathing down their necks and need big results fast. These are deals we may have passed on before, but if we can help someone out, we will.

Provide Support

One of our biggest growth drivers comes from a really simple tactic that results in everyone winning. We connect those we know are out of job with companies we know are hiring. We have formal staff augmentation and recruitment contracts, but these cases are about doing what is best for everyone. 

When the connection works out, it always ends up helping Futurety too. The hiring manager and employee are both grateful for working together and inevitably bring us in to work with them.

Be Honest with Your Team

We share detailed finances with our entire team each month. Some months the news is fabulous. Sometimes there is a pandemic and cash flow grinds to a halt. When teams feel like you share the good and the bad news, it creates trust. Yes, you may have team members updating their resume at the first sign of trouble and others immediately demanding raises after one good month. However, if you hire and educate well, your team appreciates updates and will stay vested in the company.