What to Say When Someone Says, “I Got Laid Off”
In the past, when we heard that someone got laid off, the normal reaction was to say something like,”Oh, that’s terrible. How could something like that happen?” People graduated, got a job, maybe changed jobs a time or two and retired. Plant closings were rare, often short term to be followed by an economic upturn and return to a high level of employment.
Maybe it’s just a perception, but I hear people tell me they got laid off on a regular basis lately. One other difference seems to be a feeling of hopelessness that things will turn around, at least anytime soon. I got curious, and I have been doing a little unscientific research to determine if this really is a new phenomenon. It seems that the intensity and general sense of hopeless/helplessness surrounding this current seeming epidemic layoffs magnifies the intensity of the phenomenon.
When someone says to me,”I got laid off,” my first response is to ask them if they would like to talk. Perhaps they need to vent, complain or even cry about the unfairness of the circumstances that led to this loss of job and livelihood. The next thing I do i ask them if they have a plan. If they say no, that indicates to me that they are in the grieving stage over the loss of their job. This is the stage where someone is not ready to do anything but just mourn the loss of their job.
In the midst of listening to the grief, I periodically ask the question about having a plan. At some point after a person has said the words,”I got laid off,” they will be ready to form a plan and begin to move on. This is the point where a person is ready to develop a plan. Often I suggest a book I have recommended to job seekers for many years. The book is What Color is your Parachute? (Amazon Affiliate Link) It can be ordered here. What’s even better is that the current edition is available at the library. There are a lot of great resources on the website so check them out while checking the book out at the library to see if it is worth your while to own.
What is unique about this book is the way it helps you take stock of your life, your interests and abilities as a way to plot your future success, not just inn terms of finding a job, but finding a fulfilling, rewarding plan for your life.
When someone says to you, “I got laid off,” focus on them and where they are at that moment. That man involve empathically listening to their story, their pain and anger, their fear and frustration. Once they have verbalized these things, you can listen to them and help them devise a plan for success. With encouragement, understanding, a person in this situation can come to realize that being laid off does not mean the end, but rather a transition to something new and hopefully better.
No related posts.
