8 Ways I Survived Being Laid Off

While we’ve all seen and heard predictions of a slowing economy, the spate of news of job losses at many leading multinational corporations has been distressing.  The new year hasn’t begun well for so many bright and hardworking professionals who will now be wondering how and when their next pay cheque will arrive – a frightening thought at the best of times, but even more so after a high-spending festive season, when so many families were travelling and spending time together to make up for the lost pandemic years. 

Why Are There So Many Layoffs?

The news has been particularly depressing for me because it brought back some painful memories. While most company CEOs talk about ‘difficult times’ being the root cause of many of these layoffs, there can always be other reasons why people lose their jobs. This can include whistleblowing, relationship breakdowns, poor decisions by you or the senior leadership, or even because your beliefs and/or work philosophy aren’t what the organisation wants or needs.

From personal experience of losing my job in the past, I know that it is easy to internalise the whole experience and become consumed by feelings of grief, anger, self-doubt, and fear of the future. Today, after a gap of many years, I can look back at that period of my life and realise no matter how low it felt and seemed at that point, I got over it and even learnt something from it. These are some of the things I did that helped me. Perhaps, these can help you too, if you have just lost your job, or help anyone else who is struggling with being made redundant. 

How I Learnt And Recovered From Being Laid Off

• I allowed myself time to grieve and process the pain. I recently read – You have to feel it to heal it – and these words of wisdom from Calm Collective Asia resonated with me. There will be a flood of emotions at first. Acknowledge them to begin the process of recovery.  
  Understand and accept what has happened, and take the time you need to make peace with it and then let it go. 

• I talked to the few people I could bare my heart to, who I knew wouldn’t judge me. Being laid off is an extremely isolating experience… I know because I have been there!
  Most layoffs come with carefully crafted NDAs and severance packages that are subject to confidentiality and so the legal and financial implications mean that most people feel they have no one to talk to. However, even without revealing the fiercely guarded secrets of the terms of your layoff, there are people whom you trust enough to open up to about what you are going through. Find your sounding board and vent. 

• I found it useful to reach out to my past employers and bosses, especially those who really valued me and the ones whose work ethics were aligned with mine. I let them know that I was available for work and in my case, this quickly translated to a job offer.
  Even if it doesn’t happen immediately, if there is a former colleague who thinks highly of you and is in your corner, chances are that they will keep an eye out for an opportunity for which you will be suited.  

• I updated my CV.
  Many of us forget about this valuable tool in our arsenal. It’s good to use the time off to polish our CVs and get ready to use them.  

• Learn a new skill. Two weeks after being made redundant I enrolled in a post-graduate certificate in a coaching programme. The intention behind this was to sharpen my skills for potential new opportunities as an HR Business Partner, but you can see where it’s led me!  

• Nothing works better than a personal recommendation, so ask your friends, former bosses and ex-colleagues to introduce you to recruitment firms and headhunters they have had the best experience with. Get in touch, mention who recommended them and follow the leads you get. 

• One thing that did me a world of good was getting a much-needed change of scenery. After being laid off, I went on short trips to Greece and Spain. These weren’t indulgent luxury holidays, but they were clever and carefully budgeted weekend getaways that gave me enough time to reboot. Whilst these trips didn’t take away all the pain and confusion, they were very important and helpful parts of my reset process.
  If you have received a redundancy package (however big or small), perhaps keep a small portion of that to gift yourself some quality “me” time. If money is tight but you have the luxury of time, take a longer, solo trip (a bus ride, a backpacking tour or even just a long walk, depending on what is possible in your location). This will allow you to calm your agitated mind, recover from the hurt, anger and dejection you feel and get some perspective. 

• Perspective brings me to the final step that really helped me heal. While I walked through beautiful Bilbao and Athens, I realised that all I had really lost was a job and there is so much more than life has to offer!
  Work is wonderful, but it is not all that you are. The world is your oyster and it has more jobs and infinitely more beauty and enjoyment to offer you. Once you see that, you will be ready to restart.

I hope this helps you. I have been pleasantly impressed by some of the social media posts by some recently laid-off employees. They are showing courage, determination and grace in the way they are accepting their job loss publicly. What’s more, they are also wisely and boldly letting future employers know they are open to work. I wish them and anyone going through a career transition, a layoff or a career break the very best of luck and strength.

Nerice Gietel is a career coach in UAE and Dubai, who has lived and worked in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Nerice is ICF ACC accredited and has coaching certifications from Oxford Brookes University, UK and Transcend International. She has a global coaching clientele in cities such as London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Mumbai and more, with coaching sessions taking place online and in person. Read more and find out how she can coach you to transform your life.