Some managers will assure their employees that their jobs are safe. Then in the next breath, they’ll add “but … hold off on any big purchases you might be thinking of making.” The implication is that what’s safe now may not be safe later.

While that seems like prudent advice in this type of economy, it’s also the reason the economy is in the funk that it’s in. By telling employees to hold off on those car or home purchases, the very spending that is America’s economic engine is not being spent. Those jobs that weren’t initially in jeopardy eventually are in jeopardy.

While it might not be prudent to tell employees “go spend like there’s no tomorrow!” the irony is that might be what it takes to truly save their jobs.