Getting made redundant was something I never envisioned would ever happen to me, especially as I was working for one of the largest law firms in the UK which turned over a billion pounds the year previous.
This was back in 2010 which wasn’t long after the economic meltdown thanks to some greedy banks I won’t mention. While some companies were using the downturn as an excuse to get rid of some dead wood, there were also many genuine cases where companies simply had to make cut backs.
I remember being told when I joined the firm, that the only time you went to the top floor was when you were being hired or being fired, so you can imagine how we all felt when we received a meeting request to see HR on the top floor.
Well, long story short, our fears were realised as we were told that they were going to let 3 of us go out of a team of 7. As it happens, the conditions of the new role were so bad, we all decided to take redundancy.
One of my colleagues cried when she was given the news, I felt bad for her; I guess everybody takes things differently. I was surprisingly cool about it as I knew the package would give me a few months breathing space, but I didn’t relish the thought of going home and telling my wife.
Maybe if this had happened when I was younger, it wouldn’t have mattered as much, as I wasn’t married, didn’t have a daughter and didn’t have a mortgage. Of course, these were all the first things that went through my mind when I got the news.
Maybe it is just me, but my first thought was “is my family going to end up on the street”. Looking back, this is silly I guess but it is probably a natural reaction.
This was probably one of the first true tests in my life of having to think positively, and I’m glad I did because if you go into panic mode, your brain shuts down making it very difficult to make decisions and move forward.
Sometimes, you have to take a step back and think “what’s really the worst that can happen”. A problem is something that is present in your own mind, so you can make that problem seem as big or as small as you want.
It can be useful to use the thought of a much bigger problem as a reference point. Initially, if you were asked to give a number from 1-10 (10 being the worst) for losing your job. You might give that a 7 or possibly more?
Now if you think of the worst problem you could ever think of, maybe having 1 week to live, or a close relative getting a terminal illness, what number would you give that? Personally that would be a 9 or 10 for me. Ok, now go back and look at the initial problem about losing your job, and re-score that in comparison, has the number gone down by any chance? I would now only give it a 4 or 5.
It is also important to look at different angles. I could have thought “Oh s**t, I’ve lost my job, how am I going to get another one”. Instead, I thought “This could be an opportunity to do something new, possibly a career change, or even to start up my own business”. I opted for the latter, doing web design for offline companies.
Always try to put a positive spin on something that has happened. I realise this isn’t always possible depending on the severity of the situation, but often the problem we have can be overcome one way or another.
It also pays to remember that no matter how bad the situation you’re in is, there will be somebody else who is worse off than you. While meditation may seem a bit woo-woo for many, anybody who has tried and will testify that it allows you to be more relaxed about situations and see them for what they really are.
Also remember that problems always seem a lot worse when you are slap bang in the middle of them. Just hang in there and there will be a point where the problem is resolved and will pass.
If you have lost your job or you feel you may do soon, take logical steps to put yourself in the best position possible when it does happen. This could be getting your CV up to date, speaking to people you know to see if there are jobs going at their workplace, connecting to as many people as possible on Linkedin.com etc. Maybe you want to start laying out ideas for starting your own business.
You will be able to cope with situations much better if your brain can see that you are actively taking steps to control the situation. Instead of being at effect of what the world throws at you, you are now deciding how things are going to be.
So tell me, have you been in this situation before, how did you cope, what was the outcome? Maybe you are in this situation now? I would love to hear your comments below.
Good luck
Phil
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