by Kaitlyn Hamilton

Created on: February 06, 2009

In today's job market there are many reasons for people to lose their jobs. Companies are having to look for ways of cutting back their overhead costs and unfortunately, one of those ways is by cutting positions. Businesses are folding left and right due to the economic difficulties we're all currently facing and even the more healthy companies are looking at layoffs.

Most companies will look at keeping their most valuable employees and cutting those that are considered "expendable". It is more important now than ever before that employees bring their best performance and their best work ethics to their job each and every day. Employees can't afford to come to work late or call in sick unless it is absolutely necessary because something as simple as poor attendance can move an otherwise valuable employee to the top of the list when it comes time for cutting jobs.

This is a terrible time for someone to be fired because there are very few companies in a position to hire new employees. Every time another major company folds it means hundreds or thousands more workers out pounding the pavement and competing for the few jobs that are still available.

Employees can no longer afford to test the waters to see how much they can get away with before their employer comes down on them. The days of sending text messages to buddies during work hours and talking to friends on the phone all afternoon are long gone. Employers are also paying closer attention to what kind of web pages people are visiting during work hours and monitoring the use of company email. Face it, employers don't need to look for reasons to fire people these days and employees who spend time doing things at work that are not work related are asking for trouble.

In retail stores and other occupations where employees handle money there is greater temptation it seems for employees to steal. Times are difficult and many people are unable to make ends meet, so they see or handle cash at work and are tempted to see if they can get away with sneaking a little here and there. This is never a good idea. Not only can they lose their job, but they can also go to prison. Once a person is terminated for theft or has a criminal record then they can be ruined for life. No one wants to hire someone with a criminal past, especially when the crime was work related.

The unemployment rate has been rising so rapidly that often highly trained professionals are taking jobs as waiters, waitresses, and cashiers just to have any money

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