Posted on 15 Jul, 2009 -
The Fear (or Reality) of Redundancy
Why fearing losing your job could be exactly the thing that makes it happen
Some words of advice for those going through redundancy or fearing it might be imminent
PLUS: A request for kind comments from me!
I need to start off this week by asking you a favour - not totally unrelated to the subject of this email.
As you probably know, Life is a Bag of Revels now has its own website where you can go and look up past emails and send me messages etc. As it’s also the place where we bring on new readers (crucial to my publisher letting me stay in business), there’s a tab at the top labeled ‘Testimonials’ where people can go and see what others have been saying about the Bag of Revels emails.
Unfortunately, however, this is currently looking a little bit empty! While many of you have said some wonderful things over the years, I never thought to ask you permission to use your comments.
So yes, what I’m asking you to do now if you feel inclined and can spare a moment is to send in any nice comments so that we can put them on the website. Just let me know how you’d like your name to appear. E.g. Full name and town. Just initials and town. Just initials. Fake name. Etc etc.
Feeling insecure about your job and financial future? You’re not alone.
So yes, as you can see, this request of mine is in a way connected to the insecurity that so many of us are feeling at the moment in regards to our work. And of course there are not an insignificant number of people in this country who have already experienced the blow of being made redundant.
Many industries are in trouble. Jobs are being cut. So yes, we are in a way justified in our concern.
The irony about our fear, however, is that it might be exactly the thing that seals our fate. At any times when we are feeling a fearful or negative outlook on the future, it naturally puts a damper on our creativity, enthusiasm, self-esteem and strategic thinking abilities - a lack of any of which is more likely to make us underperform in our work.
A very interesting fact from neuroscience is that when the fear system of the brain is active, exploratory activity and risk-taking are turned off. We become almost solely interested in saving our own skin, all inclinations towards creativity or taking bold moves for the future put on hold.
Why doing the opposite to our natural inclinations could pay off
When our companies are in trouble or our position is looking less than secure, however, this is exactly the time when we should be using all our abilities, strengths and ingenuity to give things a bigger boost. I have annoyingly mislaid the statistics I found but companies who cut their advertising budgets during recessions are far far more likely to perform badly or go under. And a similar thing is true of us as individuals.
But what, you might ask, can we possibly do to get over this fear which is of course not unjustified? I looked into a few ideas to help us all keep our heads and come out of this positive:
* Ask yourself whether there could be anything positive that could come out of you losing your job - especially if you were to make a leap of effort to make new things happen?
* Remember that recessions do not last forever and that the economy will pick up again.
* Remember that if you do lose your job, it will not be you that is being made redundant but your position. Feeling that you have failed or are failing personally is the last thing you want right now. Keep reminding yourself of your strengths, abilities and what you have to offer.
* To support everyone around you right now, you need to stay STRONG - not crumple into a heap of self doubt or self pity.
* Recognise the neurological effect that fear may be having on you and encourage yourself towards being more daring and creative. Try to be proactive rather than reactive and use your resourcefulness to shine at this time.
* One of the most central elements of fear is often the presence of uncertainty. Once we know exactly what it is we need to face then most of us rise with strength and courage to face it. It is when we are unsure of what faces us that we feel so helpless and insecure. If you really are worried about losing your job then encourage yourself to investigate the reality of that eventuality. What would be the worst that would happen? What help would be available to you and what would you be able to claim? What would you start doing to look for new work?
What if you’ve been made redundant?
Expect an emotional rollercoaster - that will come to an end eventually
But let’s suppose that the worst does or has already happened and you lose your job. All talk of feeling positive or acting creatively is probably going to get thrown out of the window at least for the first few weeks. In fact, there are a whole range or stages of feelings and reactions you can expect to feel after you’ve been made redundant. Being aware that these reactions are normal can at least help ease you through them.
It has never happened to me personally but twice to my husband so I know that feelings of anger, betrayal, desperation and loss are very real. At first there may well come shock and disbelief, perhaps a kind of numbness. Some may even feel relief. And most some insecurity.
As in the grief of losing a loved one, many people are also inclined to go through a stage of blaming themselves. You may find yourself thinking ‘If only I had done X, Y or Z’ or I hadn’t done A, B, C.’
You may go through many weeks of anger, shock, denial and perhaps depression before you reach a place of acceptance from which you can move forward.
Dealing with the practicalities
One important thing to remember while you are going through this emotional rollercoaster is that there are steps you should start taking IMMEDIATELY to help the financial side of your affairs.
One of your rights when facing redundancy is that your employer must give you time off to look for a new job, so use this time wisely to consider all the options. You should also sign on to the dole straight away with Job Centre Plus or the benefits office. The financial support they provide is part of the reason you pay your taxes every month so not registering would be like turning down insurance money even though you’d paid for all the premiums.
When you feel that you are ready, put by some time each day to start looking for new employment. Use all the resources you can get your hands on and ask around everyone you know. Contact potential employers directly rather than waiting for jobs to be advertised.
Try not to be discouraged if you do not get the first fifty jobs you apply for. This kind of figure is normal, whatever kind of level you work at. Think of it as looking for a four-leaf clover or a stone with a hole in it at the beach. It’s a long trial and error process to find a job that fits you.
After the initial period of shock and anger, many next get a period of energy when they start looking for new employment. If the job doesn’t come quickly, however, they can fall back into a slump where they’ll feel demoralised and perhaps depressed.
It might pay, perhaps, to accept that this situation might last for even a year or so and to take a long-term perspective on your situation. If you know what you are preparing for, you will feel less of a sense of insecurity.
Dealing with the emotions
In counselling for grief, clients are given ‘tasks of grief’ to help them through the very difficult times. The first is to tell the story until you feel that you don’t need to tell it anymore. The second is to do whatever it takes to express all of the emotions you’re going through.
Another very important thing at this time is to take care of your self-esteem. Remind yourself that it was your job that was made redundant, not you personally. Instead of only dwelling on the very recent past, remind yourself of the good times and successes you had enjoyed before times got hard.
Perhaps this could even be an opportunity to take a fresh look at your life?
Yes, there ARE other jobs out there. One will come your way. The real shame would be if you completely wasted this opportunity to at least take some time off and indulge in a bit of leisure time.
All, of course, easier said than done. But giving up hope is the fastest route to failure…
