How to use your retrenchment to advantage
Technology advancements, restructuring, downsizing, and other forms of cost-cutting inevitably mean that some jobs just won’t exist any more. One unfortunate outcome of the remarkable changes in today's workplace is redundancy - termination of a worker's employment because that worker is now surplus to company requirements. But your redundancy need not be bad news - providing, of course, you’re prepared to make the most of the opportunities...
1. Keep your ear to the ground.
Retrenchment should rarely come as a surprise. By keeping yourself informed about developments inside and outside your organisation, you will have a pretty good idea about how the organisation is travelling and about your prospects. Current management literature, the media, the office grapevine - all are sources of information. These days, you should be preparing yourself long before the news breaks.
2. See retrenchment positively.
As one door closes, another invariably opens. Being retrenched can provide the encouragement you need to make a break - even pursue a new career path that you may not have considered previously. Remember, whether you see any event positively or negatively is your choice. Career changes are the same. As the ancient sages taught us, our interpretation of ‘good news’ or ‘bad news’ often depends on the way we view it. View a redundancy in a positive light.
3. Pull yourself together.
Psychologist Karen Nixon urges us to tackle the fear of losing our jobs. To avoid fear by trying to push it away only gives it more power. Fear should not be repressed, she adds, and feeling our fears is the best way to control them. So, if you notice that you feel anxious, be courageous enough to allow yourself to ‘feel the fear’ or anxiety until it dissipates.
Nixon advocates the following in fighting the fear of losing your job:
- Imagine losing your job.
- Allow yourself to feel the anxiety this generates.
- When the feeling subsides, make a contingency plan and take action as required (e.g. learn new skills).
- Focus on what you have to offer.
- List what you really need to live.
- Notice the precious things around you that money can’t buy (sunsets, children, rainbows, songbirds).
- Practise feeling fortunate and grateful for what you have.
It's not a nice feeling to lose your job, but you'll gain little by indulging your emotions. Self-pity will not get you another job or help pay the grocery bill. By the time of your exit interview, you should have already begun to take positive action.
