Surviving Drastic Changes: Layoffs and Lending a Hand
As clouds brew in the economic forecasts and the fortunes of companies shift, the announcement of layoffs is becoming more commonplace. Being caught in a layoff cycle is never a fun experience, but can offer great opportunities to re-evaluate and even gain more control over the direction of your life. For those left behind after layoffs, life can be challenging as workloads are distributed and the unsettling questions over the stability of ones position arise.
So what can either group do to balance the disruption?
Reach out!
If you’re on the receiving end of a pink slip, your former co-workers can help you make new contacts that you might not be able to make on your own. Reaching out to them can help you get a start on the job search, get pointers on new directions, and help you find other connections. In many cases the larger the community you live in, the more chances you have to connect with a chance of a lifetime contact just by asking at the right time or when you need it.
On the other side of the fence, if your co-workers have been laid off, offer to help. Ask them how they’re doing, what they’re planning to do now, and if they’d like to go for coffee or lunch. The simple act of offering comfort will help you both deal with the situation. Share contacts that you think might be able to help the person bridge the gap to what they want to do next and, if you’re able to follow through, offer to make the connection for them. Aside from feeling good about helping someone, you will strengthen your own network by helping to connect different needs. You’ll also increase the chance that, if and when the time comes that you need help bridging a gap or recovering from a layoff, someone might be able to help you.
Reaching out to people you know costs you little or nothing and helps form stronger relationships. Either way, you haven’t lost anything by talking to someone.
Peter Fitzgerald is the founder of CareerSherpas.com and is currently working on his first book, managing a team of project managers, and attempting to learn the bagpipes.
April 23rd, 2008 at 2:24 am
Peter,
Your posting was worth the wait.
Surviving Drastic Changes and No-brainer day resulted in my personal reflection. The journey I have been on started with the loss of a job. Looking back and discovering a different world I see my termination was a gift. I offer you these five factors that either assisted me or I wish I had done.
#1. Prepare for the emotional rollercoaster:
The job is not the only thing being taken away. I lost my identity. The days, weeks, and months that followed were similar to the mourning process.
shock and disbelief; The couple days immediately following were full of celebration. I knew I was going to leave the company at some point. Preparing myself for better opportunities I was in the middle of my second college class.
full awareness of the loss; After the party ended I didn’t get out of bed unblessed forced to for nearly three weeks. The reason for my success was my team. I embraced the role of manager and in many cases as mentor. I realized it wouldn’t be my number they called for guidance.
recovery or re-balance; About a month after being terminated I focused on school and new opportunities. If I kept up my current pace I would complete a bachelors degree in just over two years. This is for me the transition period I am thankful for.
#2. Reflect on positives and negatives:
Take a look back over the years and identify happy and sad times in your life. Work has a huge impact on our personal lives. In many cases the state of our personal lives is the direct result of our professional life. Use this to guide your early stages of reentering the workplace.
#3. Seek professional assistance (Career Coach, Recruiter):
This is un-chartered territory for most of us. The challenges faced during this time are different than most situations I have been involved in. This is their world so find somebody to guide you through it. In addition the information provided by these professionals might have more of an impact. Instead of coming from the nagging spouse. Even if the same message is being attempted.
#4. Make a contribution;
Bottom line is we only lost the title or position. We still have the power to impact lives. Continue to share your knowledge and offer assistance. The reward is the rebuilding of self-esteem because of feeling valued.
#5. Become involved in new things;
Personally I joined a networking group for the first time. By taking on some of the tasks of the group I was also able to make a contribution. When I lost my job I realized I was not connected to anybody outside of my previous world. I will not allow myself to be in this situation in the future. I also have gained new friends and many different view points on business.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:42 am
Valuable article although mine was not a lay-off due to staff reduction or economic factors.
I also agree that networking is a good way in which to tackle the situation. When this happened to me and everyone around me sympathized, the words of Eleanor Roosevelt came to me: “No-one can make you feel inferior without your consent”.
I started to blog about my experience but within days it turned itself into a blog about the way forward and the tools I use in the recovery process.
It is actually an exciting ride. Hope it stays that way!
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:22 am
Love the post (been meaning to comment on it for the last couple of weeks!). I made a mistake in the first five years of my career – I didn’t track any of my contacts or build a database of people who I could count on when needed, like when the pink slips got handed out. So unfortunately, when I got handed my walking papers, I had to rely on Monster to get my next gig.
Now I know better.
I always tell people to build your network now so you can utilize it when you need it. Most people don’t start networking until they lose their job. It doesn’t matter if it is in your Outlook application, Gmail, ACT, or an Excel spreadsheet – start getting your contacts organized!
Robert Stanke
http://www.robertstanke.com
September 10th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.
September 10th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Thanks Sandra! I’ve been a bit slack about keeping it current, but you can expect more posts shortly!