The Layoff ~ Not TGIF for Everyone

Mar/10

The Layoff ~ Not TGIF for Everyone

by ReThinkHR.org | Leadership, Work, HR & Inspiration by @BenjaminMcCall under Human Resources, Leadership, Transition

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It’s Friday. A day that many of us look forward to. A chance for people to wind down the week and prepare for the weekend. A time to ENJOY. But not for everyone…

8.5 Million Jobs have been LOST since the start of the economic downturn

Unemployment as of February is at 9.7%

Roughly 14.9 Million people are out of work

Some people may be finding themselves included in these numbers on this day. As a manager, supervisor or an HR representative, you may be the one to inform them.

The numbers are disheartening. More so if you can put faces and names to the numbers. Increase that feeling when you can relate those numbers to people you personally know and console going through it.

It’s nothing personal. It’s just business.

A common phrase. An easy cop-out to dismiss ourselves from the thing that is actually happening on the other side of the desk that you sit. Someone’s life has being changed and in their own world ~ shattered. But it’s OK. They’ll be OK. Won’t they? I mean, how you can empathize, when it’s not you. I get it, doing so helps make it easier to look at things as just a number. We can’t attach ourselves to every situation. Doing so would make it impossible to cope with the job you hold.

Watching “Up in the Air” (Trailer) made me think about my own situation as well as many other professionals within our field that have been faced with giving the bad news. It’s not your, my, or our fault. I get it. But so many think it’s easy to focus on the numbers. To use that as a precursor to explain the situation to the employee as if it will make them feel “okee dokee, thanks I will be ok.” To chalk layoffs up to budgets. Decrease operational lines to save the factories’. To look only at the bottom line…

The Bottom Line

The movie and its true-to-life lay-offs only drove a point deeper. (Prepare yourself for a long-grammatical incorrect sentence) With the talk of “the traditional resume is dead,” “social media will replace typical recruiting practices,” to the entire approach of technology overstepping and replacing the way we have typically approached employee relations and business in the workplace… the bottom line is this:

Statistics cannot be used to show sincerity.

You cannot replace a human interaction with a transaction that is inhumane

Think about that as I leave you with the following. The words of an individual being laid off in the movie, which was played by the actual unemployed. If I had the clip it would be more powerful than the words on the page.

How do you sleep at night, man?
Huh?
How's your family?
They sleeping well at night?
Electricity still on?
Heat still on, refrigerator full of food?
Gas tank full of gas?
Going to Chuck E. Cheese this weekend or something?
Not me.
No, my kids,
We're not gonna do anything.

What do you think? As difficult as it may be, I’d like to hear your thoughts, stories, frustrations and worries. I think that in times like this, sharing is almost as good as medicine.

Thoughts on Up in the Air ~ Adversity (Video)

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benjaminmccall

For some they ARE what they do… and for others they AREN'T but have no other choice. I feel like balance is needed. Preparation is important. The more you rely on a job the more you will not no who you are without it! I simply ask for people to understand and be empathetic in a genuine way.
Stay connected and thanks for the comment/
andreavlewis

I think it's important to remember that we AREN'T just what we do for a living. Life is so much more than just a profession, a title or a company. I feel that's why it's so hard for many to accept it when they've been laid off. We get so wrapped up in our positions, we forget that we are separate entities from our employers.
benjaminmccall

For some they ARE what they do… and for others they AREN'T but have no other choice. I feel like balance is needed. Preparation is important. The more you rely on a job the more you will not no who you are without it! I simply ask for people to understand and be empathetic in a genuine way.
Stay connected and thanks for the comment/
andreavlewis

I think it's important to remember that we AREN'T just what we do for a living. Life is so much more than just a profession, a title or a company. I feel that's why it's so hard for many to accept it when they've been laid off. We get so wrapped up in our positions, we forget that we are separate entities from our employers.
benjaminmccall

Humorous, while being heartfelt… I think that Up in the Air tried to bring realism to the current situation. I know many people who are going through this. It is easy for many people to say that they understand, yet it can be harder for them to truly empathize and 'know' what many of us are going through.
I wish the best for you and your family. The key, from my perspective, is to have a hopeful attitude coupled with a shear determination. With your support your husband will be an even better man after this!
Thanks for sharing Trish!
trishmcfarlane

You bring attention to something we need to all have sensitivity to. There are so many unemployed now that I am sure we can each think of at least one person we know who is affected. My husband was laid off a month ago from the job he's had for 14+ years, his whole career. It is devastating to him. I personally know his HR person and she treated him with respect. It's a step but doesn't make it any easier. Now, instead of taking our Disney vacation like we planned, our kids won't be going anywhere. They have noticed the cutbacks in our lives already and it's only been a month. Who can think about fun things when you have to worry about losing your home. This is a struggle and it's only going to get worse.

Thanks for bringing attention to this issue.
benjaminmccall

I think the fact that people can trust and tell themselves “it will get better” has even more weight than the same comment from friends, colleagues or co-workers. It is the confidence and self-perseverance gives more hope!
Joan Ginsberg

I was on a 3 person panel discussion on unemployment earlier this week (my local NPR radio station). One of the questions the panel asked was about support, and whether friends and family treated us - the unemployed - any differently because of our situation. The answer from 2 of us was a resounding “no”. In my case, I explained that social media had broadened my support group to such a degree that I didn't even feel like I was experiencing any kind of adversity.

I think people are helping each other so much right now. Empathy is high, and people can use that to overcome the impersonal “it's just business” approach of the employer. Yes, employers have bad attitudes about what is going on. But the people whose opinions I value most have my back. I use that to get through it all, because it WILL GET BETTER. Eventually.