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How to cope with redundancy
- July 28, 2020
The coronavirus outbreak has put huge financial pressures on our workforce and many organisations have faced very difficult decisions related to staffing. Even with support measures in place from the Government, like the Job Retention Scheme, some industries have ceased operations altogether while others cannot retain staff on a long-term basis due to financial issues.
Losing your job can impact your sense of well-being, negatively affect your mental health, relationships and confidence. We’ve come up with the below steps to help you get through it:
- Know your rights
You can only be chosen for redundancy fairly — never based on your age, gender, disability or mental health status, if this is something you have disclosed with your employer. If you’re legally classed as an employee and have over two years’ service, you have rights related to redundancy and unfair dismissal.
- Manage your feelings
Make sure you give yourself space and time to express these feelings and talk to other people about what you are experiencing. Being made redundant during the pandemic is nothing to be ashamed of; you are not to blame for this turn of events and having some social support during this time can help you cope.
- Take stock
When you have undertaken this rational exorcising of your initial emotions, you’re in a better place to revise your assets. What is it you’ve got in terms of your skills and experience, your talents and your wisdom that you will be able to now work with as you move towards the next step of this post-redundancy period?
- Maintain your energy
What is also very important is that we need the right mind-set to switch on the next phase of our life. We need to be in the mood to roll our sleeves up. We know that there is a clear end coming with us leaving our organization and also that we have a new beginning coming up soon.
- Expand your network
If you are looking for a new position, making the most of your existing network and expanding on your contacts can be beneficial. You are going to have to think about how you get yourself in front of them. This is going to be through a combination of job boards, using social media and being proactive online.
- Begin your search
To set yourself up for success, it’s important to make sure your CV is up to date. Take the time to consider all of the skills, tasks and achievements from your last role, and how you can take this forward into a new position.
When you are clear about what you’re trying to do it will become clearer and clearer to you who the key players are and what research you can do to understand which of them might be interested in you. This will mean you can spend more time in research and not waste valuable time chasing down the wrong avenues.
- Think positive!
This is undoubtedly a difficult and unsettling time for everyone. However, redundancy does give you the opportunity to think about what you really want for the future. It can be tempting to spend every waking hour searching for new jobs but putting that extra strain on yourself won’t help. Be sure you don’t make the mistake of neglecting your wellbeing.
If you are looking for the next exciting role in your career, please get in touch on 0207 043 4629 or send your CV in to recruitment@thegraduateproject.co.uk and The Graduate Project will be happy to help.
By Anirudh Nair
