Redundancy – Real Talk

My job role has been made redundant (cheers COVID).

When I started this blog, redundancy wasn’t something I imagined writing about. It’s one of those things I thought only happened to adulty-adults – not people in their 20’s who are new to the working world. But all it took was a global pandemic and here I am 15 days after my 26th birthday and 2 days away from my last pay-check.

Before I dive into the nitty-gritty I wanted to mention how much I loved working at Smaller Earth. As my first job after travelling, I couldn’t have asked for a better place to grow as a person and develop my career. Not only did I travel around the world and make friends for life, but I also embarked on a self-development journey that has helped me understand more about my personal purpose in life. Deep I know.

I’m now at the stage where I have no clue what’s next. COVID-19 has put a real spanner in the works. And while finding a new job during this pandemic is worth a whole blog of its own, I’ve decided to share the honest feelings I had when I was told my role no longer existed.

I’ve used my own self-reflection to help normalise the internal thoughts and feelings you may have if you’re made redundant in your 20’s. So if you’ve recently become unemployed, or are unsure of your job stability, this will remind you that you’re not alone!

Introducing… The 5 Stages of Redundancy.
(coined from my own redundancy experience)

1. False Hope

Look at this pic. Me, sat at my old desk, eating cheerios provided by work without a care in the world. Fast forward to April 2020. I was placed on the government furlough scheme and knew that my role was likely to be made redundant.

But I still held out hope that some form of divine intervention was going to save my job and that this wouldn’t be the last time I watched the sunrise from my desk.
**single tear rolls down cheek**

When my redundancy was confirmed, I was annoyed at myself for allowing this false hope. I felt that I’d wasted time by not being realistic with my expectations. If you have similar feels*, don’t let yourself get too caught up on it. On reflection, I realised that no one knew how much of an impact the pandemic would have, or how many people would become unemployed. So beating yourself up about not being “realistic” is ridiculous as there is no sense of what is “real” during this unprecedented situation.

*Feels definition: A wave of emotion that isn’t easy to explain.

2. Frustration

At your company. At the pandemic. At 2020 as a whole. Our logical side tells us that being made redundant isn’t our employer’s fault. But when you think of how much hard work and energy you put into a company, it’s frustrating to know that, through no fault of your own, it has all been taken away. My advice? Let yourself be frustrated for a little while. This may seem a little strange and, when you think about the wider implications COVID-19 has had on people’s lives, you may even feel guilty or selfish for being frustrated over losing your job. But allowing yourself time to be frustrated doesn’t make you a bad person. It definitely helped me to move forward and effectively “get over” being made redundant.

3. Self-doubt

This 100% ties in with the imposter syndrome.

Has anyone else spent time thinking about all the effort you put into your work and how it still “wasn’t good enough” to prevent your redundancy? And no matter how many people tell you differently, you still feel like you’ve failed? (I’m pretty sure it can’t just be me)! I even began comparing myself to the people in my company who weren’t made redundant, wishing I could be more like them and considering ways to change myself to do better next time. If you can relate – STOP RIGHT THERE! Those kinds of thoughts need to get in the bin. Everyone brings their own unique qualities to a company and businesses are doing everything they can at the moment to keep themselves afloat. It may feel personal but remember that you are good enough – you’ve got this!

4. Anxiousness

“How’s the job hunt going?” If I had a pound for every time someone said that to me I’d never need to work again. I know people mean well, but having the constant reminder that you no longer have a job can make you feel like every second of your day should be filled with applying for jobs. I’ve definitely become more anxious as my last pay-check date draws closer, but luckily I have a good support network of friends and family to help me through these difficult times.

If you’re feeling anxious about what comes next, try taking it one day at a time. Getting worried and stressed while applying for jobs is counterproductive, so why not set yourself mini-goals for each day? I spend a couple of solid hours in the morning doing applications, then move onto something else, giving myself enough down-time to recharge.

5. Acceptance/Opportunity

I started writing this at the beginning of July, just days after hearing about my redundancy. It’s only now that I felt ready to finish it, after taking the time to process so many different emotions. I’m now firmly in the acceptance stage and, though I am yet to find another job* I am genuinely excited to see what comes next. This strange period in our lives is bizarre but has opened the door to a world of opportunity. A few weeks ago I was jumping between stages 2 – 4 and couldn’t even register the idea that redundancy could be a good thing. But now I’ve had time to think about what I actually want to do and am taking the steps to achieve it.

*If anyone knows of any Manchester-based jobs going, hit ya girl up!

It’s important to mention that these 5 stages aren’t set in stone and definitely aren’t in any particular order. I’ve flitted in between them numerous times and I’m sure feelings of self-doubt and anxiousness will continue to creep in from time to time. The important thing to remember is that you’re not alone. It doesn’t make you a bitter or bad person for having conflicting emotions and it’s A-OKAY to take time to process them.

In a year’s time, we’re all going to look back and think wow – as if that actually happened. And in 10 years time, this redundancy may be the best thing that ever happened to us in terms of our career. Everything happens for a reason and as long as we’re all safe and well, remember that “things can only get better” (like that D:ream song).

Until next time readers,

Lauren