Surviving redundancy
Surviving Redundancy
It makes my blood boil when I hear of someone who has “lost” their job. Three years ago, when it happened to me, I didn’t lose it – rather it was cruelly snatched away. I loved my job as editor of a women’s magazine so the shock was earthshattering.
Not having a job is a little bit like a death in that people are sorry for your “loss” but don’t know what to say. If I can offer some advice here – say something. Saying nothing only fuels the enormous loss of confidence.
A little bit of kindness goes a long way. One of my closest friends forced me to go to her house for lunch every day for the first few weeks. Knowing she was there and not making a judgement was a tremendous support.
I was fortunate that my friends and family supported me. Many of my former colleagues have been generous with their offers of work, advice and shoulders to cry on. But sadly, others I counted as real friends, were conspicuous by their silence.
I picked up good advice from American life coach Anne Baber, who suggests keeping a diary. It was so cathartic, and helped me to expunge toxic negative emotions.
As the recession bites, chances are that each of us will be affected, directly or indirectly. Knowing what to say and do won’t be easy, but whatever it takes, say it, do it and mean it. Don’t make their “loss” yours too.
Do say
- Free for lunch next week? Nothing is more depressing than an empty diary- Would it help if we went through your CV together? Telling prospective employers how wonderful you are is best done by someone other than you
- You should meet so-and-so, who is in the same line of business as you. You need to meet new contacts
Don't say
- What are you going to do now? You don’t know the answer to that and it only adds to the pressure
- You won’t have a problem finding another job. Because if you do, that sort of remark will only feed your lack of self-confidence
- I’m sure I’m going to lose my job, too. Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn!
