Workplace Challenges
Life after layoff: 'Keep on truckin'The CEO invited us to his office and, slumping forward in his chair, elbows on knees, head hanging down, clapped once and said (almost with a flourish), "Well, we don't have any money." BARBARA FRANK |
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 [ 2002-07-10 ] |
"But tomorrow's pay day," we reminded.
And he countered, "No, it isn't."
By noon we'd gone from co-workers to "console-mates".
By 3 p.m., we were shrugging and hugging, crying and trying to make sense of it all.
Then it was over.
Outrageous! Unfair! Illegal!
Still, there we were, holding the bag. Just like that. "Freedom 54".
It was the worst of times. Denial, indignation, grief, terror ... even depression. And loneliness. Scared of being bored, and bored of being scared. (I'm told that's typical for "freedom shock".)
It was the best of times.
I "accidentally" heard about the Self Employment Assistance program, an under-promoted Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) initiative that encourages self-employment while providing training, education and benefits. In addition to the opportunity and the learning, I relished in the continuity, the structure, the relationships -- and the encouragement to keep on keeping on.
Donna Messer is a networking expert, an international speaker, trainer and coach, president of ConnectUs (dmesser@connectuscanada.com).
"Everyone wants to go back to where they have been, and the jobs just aren't there," Messer notes.
Maybe you're thinking about changing careers. "Funding for retraining has been cut tremendously, and rigid criteria apply," says Loretta Helman, supervisor of career services for FGI (www.fgiworld.com), Canada's largest and most comprehensive EAP (Employee Assistance Programs) provider. "In some instances, companies provide severance that includes something for retraining, but these benefits are also diminishing," she adds.
What to do?
"First you have to give yourself permission to be in your current situation," advises Wayne Lewis, Wayne A. Lewis & Associates, a provider of HRDC-sponsored Consulting As A Career Option (caaco@pathcom.com), "Yes, it's unfortunate. Now what do you need to do to get to the next step?"
"Many people who have lost their jobs have ultimately valued the opportunity to step back, reflect on their work experiences and reshape what they wanted to do -- and target this in a strategic way," Helman says. "They found their next work opportunity far more rewarding and meaningful than earlier jobs."
In other words, now is the time to dig down and "create a career that reflects your talents and skills, instead of the other way around," Messer suggests.
"However," Helman cautions, " in this economy, be prepared to search longer and harder."
So you're on you're own. Self-employed. ("Self" sounds so much better than "un", don't you think?) Whatever your specialty, you'll have to become a marketer -- of a product you have yet to crystallize.
What is this product called YOU? More than a collection of skills and education, you're a wealth of knowledge, insight, wisdom. You have experience, a track record, a legacy. Your background includes a cornucopia of work situations -- some great, some not-so.
Hopefully that's given you a sense for your "true North". If not, maybe you need some help.
There are consultants, psychologists, counselors and advisors in both the public and private sector to help you get started:
If you have some money, you can choose from a myriad of services, from skills inventories, personality assessments and suitability profiles to professional career counseling, all of which can help you on your journey.
I got tremendous value from two hours of private counseling. I came away with new insights, practical reading material, thought-provoking self-tests and an objective sounding board -- as well as a degree of accountability, which I so needed.
Then, by marrying my profile with problems I could solve in the marketplace, I discovered several niches that have developed into business (the self-employed term for "work").
(Barbara Frank is a corporate trainer, public speaker and communications specialist and president of Business Buffet, the Help-Yourself series. She can be reached atinfo@businessbuffet.com.)
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