Redundancy; A Survival Pack Series for Dealing with Life When You’ve Been Shafted. Part One.
Like many people who managed to still breathe around 2007-2012 and even now, we lived through the recession. We still bear the scars of barely surviving - only to find that post-recession is pretty damn hard too. Yet for others, the recession and people loosing their jobs seems to be an urban myth. This is in ode to all of us who struggled through and a wake up call for those who think it doesn't affect them.
Positive Peter isn’t always who you need to speak to
Understand how to deal with people whose ego is as big as Australia - whilst you sit wanting to tear you hair out at how unfair things seem to be. Understand that the bubble that these people reside in means that they don't always understand the struggle that a number of us have faced daily - of picking yourself up of the floor constantly...and then having to deal with people who ask why you haven't done better. We're here for you - we've been there struggling through (we still are)....
What losing your job and being shafted feels like
So right now the employment prospects are better than they were in 2008 onwards - we don't need an economist to tell us that. Yet what people fail to understand are the long-term effects of loosing your job/being downgraded/side-lined/destroyed/having to take sideways moves or go down the ladder, just to survive. We also recognise - that we were the lucky ones too - we at least have a job. Queues of people, who were far more qualified, experienced and with better contacts of course take the positions that are available and those with less constantly try to get those things so they can be in a better position next time. Like many people (in our day job) we had to take sideways moves just to survive (which seemed like sliding down the ladder when we actually got into it), with the somewhat naive thoughts that we just need to accumulate a bit more experience and then things will go back to normal. Unfortunately that's also taking out external factors such as luck, organisations preferring other skills, their friends and taking two months to decide whether they want to offer someone a position or not (but I digress).
So, for anyone who doesn't know - shall I tell you what it feels like to be downgraded, have your job taken away or just generally dismissed?
It absolutely f&*%@ng sucks.
Understand?
It utterly blows.
What else can I say.
It's like having all your hopes and dreams and your beating heart is ripped out and presented in front of you.
Now lets say that this happens more than once, say three times...simply because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Now imagine you later manage to get a job and you're surrounded by people far less qualified, experienced, with huge egos and appear to have slept through the recession.
Add to the mixture how they need to let you know that they are better than you. That, in fact, everyone is better than you.
No matter how you dress it up or try to tell people to be positive or that this could be the best thing that ever happens to them, say this with me:
Redundancy. Absolutely. Blows.
They can take our jobs but they will never take away our freedom to access public WiFi
Take it from us, people will tell you that redundancy/general shaft-ament isn’t that hard. They might say that it’s actually a welcome change…a chance to do something different. Seriously, we should have thought of being made redundant before to add some spice to our lives….NOT.
Whilst we love positivity and try to teach it…there’s no mistaking that it’s hard to find many positive things coming out of being made redundant in a job you’ve worked really hard in. Possibly not for the first time either. It isn't a one time thing, it could happen time and time again and often to the same people...you might miss it due to pure luck or timing.
How to pick yourself up off the floor – daily - and thrive
When I was researching for this blog, I went over some familiar territory of looking for articles on the net on dealing with redundancy. Most used the spin of how it could be the best thing ever to happen to people, that they can follow new pursuits and even take time to appreciate some down time whilst they look for a new job.
I've always wondered what planet those writers were on.
The sheer panic, anxiety, fear and heartbreak that someone whose career is going down the toilet is unimaginable. Besides them feeling they have lost their self worth, how will they pay the mortgage, rent or try to save up for the house/car/holiday that they have been saving up for years for and now need to use to be able to eat?
So we know the obvious – there’s a really good chance that if you’ve lost your job or are about to, you will need to find another. Even if it’s something to see you through in the short term.
We aren’t recruitment specialists and that isn’t the point of this article but what we will say is that finding another job can often be harder than other people think – so be good to yourself. Also, don’t dismiss roles others may thing are below them or you. Remember that at the end of the day, it pays money…and you’re going to need money no matter how new-age you may be.
On the positive side, it will give you more time to think…to reassess what you could do if you could do anything in the entire world…and start to sow the seeds (that was pretty much the basis of my entire career of working for someone else). Just don’t forget to try and risk manage wherever possible and that (in most cases at least!) most work is honest work.
Our role in this is to help support you as the deal with the emotions (that won’t just subside after 24 hours) and how to get on…and how to do even better that you would ever believe.
There are two elements to this:
- Understanding and dealing with the anxiety, stress, disappointment, fear and feelings of failure you may experience after losing your job/generally being shafted
- How to use the fundamentals of sports psychology and peak performance to be your very best at interviews, auditions and competitions to give you the very best chances of success to move forwards no matter how long t takes
- How to deal with difficult people (this goes for friends, ex-colleagues, maybe even family) who don’t quite give you the support you need
Over the next few weeks we will be looking at dealing with these areas in detail.
We trust our advice because we’ve had to learn it for ourselves.
Yes, see – we’re with you.