How to handle a Redundancy
Work-life is tough at the moment. It might be about to get tougher with wage subsidies and other goodies about to be cut.
If you're not already part of a business that's restructured or soon to be, there's news all around that the economy is about to take a dive and potentially rob us of our jobs, our clients, our sales and business dreams.
It’s a scary old world, but (and there’s always a but) I’ve been inspired by some of the downright amazing businesses and people out there. People, places, and companies have been pivoting all over the place - they’re adapting and showing the world just how resilient they can be.
And while I could go on about the positives, I realise the massive changes in the New Zealand labour market mean redundancies are a real-life, tangible thing and something a lot of us are more likely to come up against.
Redundancy can be flat out frightening for a number of reasons, but I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be the end of all ends. I like to think of it more as a bump in the road, a hurdle, a Trump in the White House for four years. It could even be one of the best things to happen to your career.
In 2017 I started a company called Human Focus Consulting. Ever since, I have been working with all sorts of people and businesses to help them develop their people and culture programmes through my HR and coaching expertise, ensuring that leaders are leading to the best of their ability while employees are deriving some sense of fulfilment from their place of work.
Enter 2020 and now I am also helping companies run a fair process and maintain a constructive culture even as they’re forced to restructure their teams.
So…if you are facing a restructure, here are some tips to think about:
1. It’s not personal.
It’s not because you’re bad at your job. It’s (hopefully) not because you screwed up at the work Christmas party last year and told the IT Manager what you really thought of their network integrity. It’s because the company is in survival mode and it's facing a very different future to the one it was facing before Covid-19 hit the globe. Companies must figure out a way to survive and thrive, often this means removing roles that they consider are no longer needed or can’t be sustained...of which yours may be one of them.
2. Focus on your health and wellbeing.
Are you OK? Mentally? Emotionally? Physically? Nothing comes before this as you deal with this process.
Connect with others. Reach out to your tribe whoever that may be - your friends, family, work colleagues, coach, or health professional.
Focus on the good stuff that you do have and build more of it. Gratitude is so important to help us gain perspective – something that is easily lost when we are in a spiral of stress and anxiety about the future.
Laugh - however that works for you. Find your groove and do it, even if you don’t feel like it.
Sleep. OK, you may feel tempted to sleep in and spend all day in PJs guzzling blocks of Whittaker’s, then pass out in a sugar coma’ type of way. That’s fine too but try to get that solid eight hours or so as regularly as you can. Your mind and body will thank you for it.
Get some movement into your day as well as some nutritious food (once you’ve had enough of Whittaker’s finest). You’ll have more energy and clarity of thought.
Be mindful. It could be meditation, yoga, deep breathing or even getting in touch with your inner greenie and communing with nature. Whatever it is, it will help centre your thought processes and enhance positive emotions.
Once your wellbeing has received the focus it needs, you will be able to respond to your employer and navigate your way through the restructure process, by providing them feedback and ideas on the proposed structure they have given you.
3. Talk it out.
You may want to discuss it confidentially with a friend you trust and respect or find a professional to help you formulate your ideas and point out any potential issues you haven’t thought of. A People and Culture expert or legal representative are options if you aren’t feeling comfortable with how the process is going. Think twice about how much you share with your work husband/wife/partner – there might be a conflict of interest there, so tread lightly.
The end is nigh…or is it just the beginning?
OK, so you’ve gone through all the meetings, given them feedback on the process and, despite all this, you have been made redundant. You are now staring down the barrel of having to find a new job.
4. Don’t panic - pause.
Before you panic, madly update your old CV and post on social that you are available and looking for a job, any old job because you are desperate – pause.
In all my time coaching people who have been made redundant and helping them transition into the next phase of their career, at the end of our coaching together not once have they told me they have regretted being made redundant. Not once.
Many have said that without being made redundant they would never have taken the time to really think about what they wanted for their career and life.
5. Clarify your values
Take some time to do the work and focus on understanding what drives you and what your values are. You might even think about getting some one-on-one help from a coach.
Values are our dearly held core beliefs and the things that are really important to us. Once we know our values, we can make decisions that align with these. This makes job hunting or setting up a business, re-training, deciding to go in a new direction or any other next step, that much easier.
6. Set your career goals based on your values.
Once your values are clear, set yourself goals that align with them - for work, but also other important aspects of your life such as your relationships, personal development, finances, health, and wellbeing.
This will all help you make your decision on your next career step that much easier, as your values will help guide you to choose a role (or any other career move) that aligns with what’s important to you.
7. Set an action plan to achieve your goals
Set an action plan to get there, making sure that you know what success looks like and how you will measure it along the way. This might involve one or two long-term goals, some medium-term milestones, and some short-term actions to ensure you are taking action now to start on your path.
Short-term could involve you reaching out to your network and aligning your CV and LinkedIn profile with the career move you want to make now that will ultimately support your medium and long-term goals.
Find ways to motivate yourself and keep yourself accountable along the way. Write your goals down or share them with a friend, mentor, or coach. Celebrate your successes along the way - not only at the finish line.
But what if you can’t afford to target your preferred next move? You need to get a job right now just to pay the bills, or you have to wait for the training course you want to take, or you simply can’t quite find that perfect next step. What then?
8. Don’t stop - keep moving towards your goals and what will bring you fulfilment
Do whatever you need to do now to make it work – take that job that isn’t quite right if you really need to - but keep moving towards your goals and what you know will help you find fulfilment.
That could be starting up a side hustle, researching a virtual training course, or simply continuing to search for that right next step.
Use the opportunity of pause that a redundancy gives you to review where you are at, clarify where you want to be and start crafting a life and career that’s going to fulfil and satisfy you. It’s so worth it. If you do this, like my other coaching clients, in time you’ll also be saying that your redundancy was one of the best things to have ever happened to you.
Words — Frances Bearne
