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Journalism of Courage
A came to see me in the OPD and shared that he had been recently laid off from his job. The pink slip experience was rather jolting and shocking as it came completely out of the blue. He had not been given any feedback or listed for critical reviews. He had not had any exemplary conversations with his manager either. While there had been talk about less work coming to his organisation and apprehension within the minds of employees about what their future could look like, there was disbelief around the axe when it fell.
A job is a significant stabilising factor in the life of an individual. It supports not just on account of the finances it accords a person but also provides significant experiences that strengthen a person’s sense of self. A large part of an individual’s identity tends to be derived from their experiences at work. And when those experiences get skewed in a negative direction, the chance of it leading to a detrimental impact on the individual’s sense of self, their state of well-being as well as a larger effect on their mental health tends to increase substantially.
For a person in such a situation, it is no doubt likely to lead to numerous questions around what had happened, the reasons for it and a struggle to immediately come up with ways of being able to cope with it. It can lead to an impact on moods, making one feel low and even upset and/or angry and irritable. It can cause a disruption in sleep and appetite and cause one to want to withdraw and isolate as one may feel embarrassed and at a complete loss when it comes to finding themselves in this situation.
However, finding ways to be able to manage the experience and taking care of one’s ways of feeling about and thinking through this situation is important. In a scenario where someone has been laid off, it is critical to first and foremost take a step back and understand that this is less about you as an individual and more about what is happening within the system. Often there are reasons which are larger and more representative of the changes that the system needs to go through to be able to pivot towards its newer objectives. In this situation, where the individual and the role they have played within the organisation are no longer a good fit with the system, it is important to not allow yourself to personalise it, get into a space of self-doubt or lack of assurance about the skills you possess and your ability to do the job that you need to.
Concurrently, it is also very important to remember that as you go through this experience, staying connected to people who matter and who form a part of your support system is crucial.
Reaching out and discussing what runs through your mind and affects your mood is important. So if you feel stuck at points in time where you are unable to move forward, having people around you can help you find ways to think through the situations you are encountering and find ways to solve problems through them.
Most importantly, looking at a layoff as an end point is rather detrimental. Refocussing and recognising there can be other opportunities and ways forward is an imperative. Maintaining one’s stance towards looking for what can come next and how it can allow you to maximally utilise your potential would allow you to maintain your motivation and momentum even in this difficult circumstance.
