Hiral Shah, a marketing executive in a finance company, is getting the heebie-jeebies these days. The boss, who has for a long time been happy with her performance — in fact, she has promotions and hefty performance-related bonuses to show — seems to have suddenly become distant. Some of her colleagues have been shown the door. Shah fears she is next on the hit list.

The fear is not unreasonable; many far more effective salespersons get the boot during a downturn. But it may not be justified. Shah’s boss may be feeling guilty because he has already had to sack so many people. Besides, he may be feeling insecure himself. Once you finish sacking all your subordinates, there is much less to justify you keeping your own job. The best way to protect your turf is not by reducing the people — and therefore the costs — in your department. You need to fight tooth and nail for every person who reports to you. Do it visibly and you also build up an enormous amount of loyalty.

The average Shah reacts to such a situation by putting in far greater effort. Under normal circumstances, this would result in quantifiable success — more sales, more orders, more pats on the back. But during a slowdown — exactly what we are experiencing now — extra efforts don’t translate into extra achievements. In fact, you might work twice as hard but fail to meet your targets, which were a breeze only a few months ago.

“It is easy in these circumstances to lose faith in yourself,” says Mumbai-based HR consultant D. Singh. “This feeds on itself. Even if you weren’t in line for a pink slip, you could easily be working towards one.”

Experts say that it’s easy to sink into apathy when things start going wrong in this fashion. It happens when organisations are downsizing, for whatever reason. The people asked to leave have their own troubles, of course. But it is quite as likely that the people left behind also lose their motivation. “They too feel guilty,” says Singh.

Apathy may reach its peak in times of trouble, but it occurs in the workplace even when things are normal. Says Dotty Heady, author of Leading When No One Cares: Apathy in the Workplace Can Be Costly, “This hidden cost of apathy in the workplace is potentially enormous. Such behaviour can alienate loyal customers, impair business reputation and adversely impact organisational and financial performance.”

According to SmartManager, an online publication of staffing services firm Kelly Services, workplace apathy could be one of the biggest costs to business. Tickbox, a UK market research company, says that some employees spend as much as three hours a day surfing the Internet. This is not part of their work and comes from an attitude that “everything goes” in the workplace.

Apathy can even strike the boss. The only saving grace is that — unless he is part of the promoter family — he won’t remain boss much longer. Seen from the other side, however, if the promoter boss carries on that way, the business won’t remain viable much longer. Either way, apathy matters to both you and the business.

What causes apathy? Kelly Services lists some contributing factors. Among them are the physical environment (poor or inadequate equipment or work facilities), skills not being recognised or utilised, bad working conditions, lack of delegation, discouragement of workplace social interactions, lack of job security, conflict issues and burnout.

What are the cures? That’s where there are no easy answers. “Motivation is very important,” says Singh. “There is motivation at an organisational level. That’s part of the corporate mission, vision and leadership. Without it, the company has no purpose.”

But, when crisis comes, individual motivation is also in focus. “This is the time to listen, to hold hands, to sympathise,” says Singh. “This is the time when HR has to prove itself.”

THINKING BLOCKS

Ten common career-limiting beliefs

I am not skilled enough

Hard work is noble

Fulfilling work is for others, not me

Fulfilment comes from my personal life, not my work life

I’m too old to make a major life change

My family and friends will think I’m crazy

I’m a fraud — my success is a result of the corporate structure, or my tenure

The unknown isn’t safe

I’m not sure that I can trust my decisions or choices

I’m afraid of failing in a new role

Source: Beliefs that hold you back by Patricia Soldati