Don't Let Downsizing Defeat You

Reductions in workforce have become commonplace in our culture. But no matter how many tales we hear of layoffs, reorganizations, mergers, and downsizing, we are never fully shielded from the impact of an ax swinging in our direction. According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, employers laid off 171,088 American workers in October alone. Add them to millions of others who've gone before them, and we would not exaggerate if we called this condition an epidemic.

People respond to their unemployed status in a number of ways. Some are optimistic, picking themselves up, brushing themselves off, and aggressively beginning their campaign for a new position. Others spend some time licking their wounds and rehashing the details and the downfall of their department before they find the courage to go back out into the world of work. Still there are others who become completely paralyzed by fear and anguish. Is there a right way to react to the sudden loss of your social and financial security?

Let's talk about the optimist. He looks at his pink slip and sees a ticket to a new and exciting future. His glass is half-full, never half-empty. He reassesses his wants and desires and broadens his search to include opportunities in other fields of interest. He goes on a number of interesting interviews and soon lands a new job with a great company. And the good news is that he terminates his unemployment long before unemployment terminates him and he never once touched his severance package. Mr. Optimism soon discovers that he doesn't have the authority he thought he had and when he tries to discuss the matter with his director, he is met with evasiveness and ambiguity. To him, this hazy environment begins to feel much like the one that preceded his previous employer's reorganization and subsequent mass layoff. But it's not the old company - it's a new one. Mr. Optimism overreacts one time too many and within a couple of months is unemployed, again.