Strategies In Moving Forward Following Job Loss

The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) predicted that the number of those retrenched due to the economic impact from the virus could be well over double the 40,000 people who lost their jobs last year. It is not terribly surprising since a significant part of your life goes away when you lose your job. Many of us closely identify ourselves by what we do for a living. When someone takes your job away, you can lose track of who you are and even why you are, that is, your purpose in life. Several other names have been used to call these circumstances such as dismissal, separation, discharge, firing, or lay off. This event may or may not have been of his or her doing. The failure may be based on incompetence, negligence or dishonesty. Dealing with a job loss doesn’t have to be your fault as you may have exhibited a personality clash with your supervisor, manager, head employer or even the Covid-19 virus which will cause hardship in terms of job loss.

The emotional fallout from losing a job can run the array from self-pity to sadness to anger to frustration and back again. It’s also important to acknowledge that emotions linked to a job loss may take time to process. According to the Journal of Psychology (2019), research shows that affected people of job loss move into the world of stress and major depression because of the unwillingness in facing realities from family members, peers and friends. Some people are going into control mode and trying to control everything. But we have to face facts that we are not in control of our situation as much as we’d like to be. Most professionals believe the six grief stages best describe the emotional phases that occur after a job loss. These phases, which may not occur in order, include:

Emotional Phases after Job Loss

• Denial and isolation. This is a defense mechanism that allows you to turn your back on reality and pretend that nothing serious has happened. Many people don’t know when they’re in denial and need to be confronted about it by a trusted friend or professional.

• Anger. Chronic anger is corrosive and will devour you and those around you.

• Bargaining. Trying to make a deal so things can go back to the way they were is a form of denial.

• Depression. This is a normal feeling that often accompanies the loss of something, including a job. It’s actually a healthy stage as long as you don’t remain depressed too long. Don’t view yourself as a victim. You can create your own future.

• Acceptance. When you reach this state, you’re halfway toward your goal of taking control of your future.

• Dealing With the Loss of Your Job. Most people are unprepared and succumb to isolation especially when holding a prominent post with high financial remunerations. A merger or downsizing might have been the cause of the job loss. Perhaps, you never found a niche within the business and weren’t performing to company standards. Whatever the act or circumstances, there are plenty of things to consider once you lose your job. If your layoff is temporary, I encourage people to stay connected with their team and proactively check in. Empathy and will be remembered when COVID-19 has long passed.

Some of the practical strategies to looking forward are:

• Breaking the News to Family Members. Hundreds of thousands of excellent employees all over the world face unemployment through no fault of their own. Be completely honest with your family or they won’t understand the strain and tension that is suddenly in your home, and you’ll rob them of the opportunity to support you in your time of crisis. This could be a golden opportunity to become closer as a family through the teamwork needed to pull through this setback.

• Financial Control. Many people will have to endure weeks, perhaps months, of unemployment. No matter the size of severance package, you must keep a tight rein on your pocketbook. You don’t need a career crisis and a financial crisis at the same time. Take steps to keep your personal budget aligned with your limited cash flow

• Health Conscious. Those who feel a loss of control or who are mourning their job loss may neglect their health and physical well being. Their sleep, exercise regime and diet may suffer, triggering a downward spiral. Eat healthy meals and maintain a regular routine and exercise program, and your sense of purpose and minuteby-minute priorities will remain clear. The endorphins resulting from your physical exertion will also keep the blues and fear at bay invariably keeping your body strong and resistant to the stress that comes with uncertainty.

• Strategic Thinking. When choosing your next career move, ask what industry you want to work in, what kind of culture you want to work in, what benefits you are looking for. Interview any company that interviews you

• Start Looking for Work Immediately. Many newly unemployed assume they’ll find a job quickly and decide to take a little vacation before initiating their job search. As appealing as it sounds, this is probably a bad idea. You may be misjudging the job market and your ability to secure a comparable position, especially when unemployment is high and the economy is struggling to recover from a downturn.

• Start with the Simple. There are things that are easy to do, such as reading a book on your ideal career, doing some research on the industry you are considering, having informal conversations with a few of your contacts. Start with these activities to get used to the idea of change; then begin the more challenging activities redoing your resume, going on informational interviews and participating in job shadowing.

• Consult the Experts. Invest time with career counselors, business coaches and consultants. They will give you resources, advice and strategies. Also, read books, go to seminars, surf the Internet. Other perspectives are valuable because they are objective and will assist you in making a decision you can be confident about. • Talk to Headhunters. Headhunters are a great resource for more than just jobs. They know competitive salaries, hiring trends of the industries they serve, what new job titles are being created and which are becoming obsolete. The more headhunters you talk to, the more current information you will have to help you make an informed decision.

• Networking. Have a large and wide-ranging network of contacts that you can always draw from, no matter what your employment circumstances. That network could be your advance warning system or the conduit for information about other jobs and opportunities in good times and bad. Knowing you have that resource at your disposal will reduce your anxiety and panic, should the worst-case scenario of losing your job actually come true. Networking is valuable to you in the business world, no matter what.

• Tell the Truth. The reality is that some potential employers will shy away from you when they find out you were fired and the reason behind it. In some cases, you might not be able to avoid this if the employer doesn’t have an open mind or if the reason you were fired was very serious.