Redundancy doesn't impact us all in the same way. Some are hoping for it, even delighted when they get it, for others, it's a struggle as they lose their identity, and it becomes a topic that they bring to coaching.

I am sharing this for those of you and your families who find themselves in unfamiliar territory and feel a little lost. 

Faced with redundancy, we tend to suddenly love the job we haven't enjoyed for a while. We like its safety and predictability, and we feel dismissed by our employers but out to pasture even for some older people who are impacted. 

Many people work for organisations where they believe they have a job for life. They almost feel institutionalised. It’s all they have known for many years, never imagining joining the outside world for fear of not being good enough to start over. The pay gap can trap many after years in the same company, employees can’t afford to leave and take a pay cut, so they do not even consider moving from their job to seek a more rewarding career. Most appreciate the lifestyle they have grown accustomed to throughout their careers and focus on their time off to enjoy life. 

The phrase “am I working to live or living to work” is continuously asked and left unanswered for fear of facing reality.

Many manage their workload by planning regular holidays, knowing this is the only way they will recuperate after the last quarter's pressure and stress. For some, going away is the only time they stop, switch off, and take time out for themselves and their families. Faced with redundancy, they forget all the things they disliked about their role and only remembered the good stuff.

Confronted with redundancy, clients feel lost, their accomplishments seem no longer valid, their skills are not enough, they lose sight of how they did so well previously!

Being put at risk

The enormity of the situation hits as soon as we are put at risk of redundancy, panic sets in. Those affected complain of sleepless nights, internal panic and going over one hundred and one scenarios in their heads. How could they have avoided it? What should they have done differently?

The reality is, it just happens to some people, and it can’t be avoided by how we do our jobs. It is becoming more common and has less stigma attached to it. It is not considered as a negative reason to be unemployed. If it happens to you, don’t waste the extra time until you are served actual redundancy. Get started on finding out what possibilities are open to you.  

These feelings are normal.

• Feeling anxious
• Sense of Dread
• Being scared
• Feeling like time is ticking away
• Being afraid of failure, not being good enough.

Our inner critic has a field day when something like this happens unexpectedly. My clients worry that a lower income could impact their relationships, fear they won’t be good enough for a new company. If this is how you feel, consider reading self-help books. Taming your Gremlin by Rick Carson is great for helping with your limiting beliefs. It might not be easy to rationalise how you feel if you had other plans, like working until you retire. Some even say it’s like a bereavement, especially if you have been in the same company for an extended period.

What you can do if you are already facing redundancy.

You may feel as if your work was your identity and you are feeling lost, your job is not who you are, rediscover yourself again and be patient and kind with yourself. Believe me, this event is happening to you through no fault of your own. It does not make you any less capable than you were before.

I recommend focusing on all the things you loved about your job and give yourself time to think outside of the box about what you could do next.

Do you want a career change?

Could it be the perfect time for you?

The things we love generally align with our values, so exploring them will help. You can get a free values workbook here. 

Download your values workbook HERE

Matching your career to what you like most will reduce stress and give you a different life outlook.

How can a career coach help you?

There are many ways:

• By helping you create a chronological CV to apply for similar jobs to the one you have or polish your existing CV and cut it down to two relevant pages.
• Help you create a skills CV to look for new jobs focused on your skills to broaden your possibilities.
• Challenge you to connect with your brilliance and get the most from this opportunity.
• Help you to get the most from LinkedIn with a fully completed profile. 

You can also check out my limited-edition CV course 

CV Training Course HERE

What else can you do?

I recommend attending all the free training you can, completing courses on Udemy and other inexpensive platforms, exploring your passion, helping others, being creative, and making things. Find and attend webinars online, review what can be seen on your social media, explore the job market, and register with agencies and headhunters.

Before an interview

Practice your interview technique until you feel fully equipped to start applying for new jobs, capable of selling yourself and your skills.

“If you love your work, you never have to work again.”

A great slogan, I once read, but I am not sure by whom! If you can choose a career that will align with your values, and by doing something you enjoy, you can make a transformative life choice, finding reward in ways you may not have considered. Do allow yourself to explore before making the change in your career and starting over.

Turning anxiety into excitement.

This is a trick recommended to me. If you feel anxious about a job interview, flip it into feeling excited, getting you into the right frame of mind. Our bodies react similarly to anxiety and excitement on a physical level, so if you tell your brain it's the excitement you are feeling, then your brain can calm down, which could help. 

There is always a bright side. 

Although it might not feel like it right now, time and time again, clients I see at a later date say that "Although it didn't feel like it at the time, redundancy was the best thing that ever could have happened to them". 

Get your free copy of my Blueprint for Job Search Success HERE - IT"s FREE