Life After a Lay-off – A Survivor’s Guide

The unthinkable has happened – your organization has experienced a lay-off. You are one of the survivors and your position has not been eliminated… yet. You currently find yourself surrounded by a group of fearful people.  Fearful that workloads will increase; benefits will be eliminated; more people may be let go; and fearful of experiencing loneliness after losing friends at work. 

You are now faced with a decision.  You can be part of a positive force to help the organization be successful, or become paralyzed with the uncertainty of the future.  What can you do to become an employee that your organization simply cannot live without? 

1. Focus on the positive.  Envision both your success and the overall success of your organization.  When others spout doom and gloom, don’t get sucked into these negative conversations. Sitting on a “pity pot” will only leave you with a ring around the butt. Take action every day to help turn your vision into a reality. Just hoping that things will improve for you, without taking action, is not an effective strategy. Stay positive and focus all of your energy on being the best you can be each and every day.

2. Communicate often with your supervisor. Share what is going well as and what needs improvement. As you talk about things that need to change, make sure you are ready to provide your supervisor with ideas for solutions and viable alternatives to address the problem.  Ask your supervisor for feedback in your area of influence, and take actions to improve your team or department.

3. Keep on learning.  Daily, make it a goal to expand your knowledge base.  Learn about other areas within your organization, get training, and gain skills to make yourself even more valuable.  Alvin Toffler said it best:  “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”   What new knowledge and skills will you learn?

4. Be a team player.  This is not the time for an “it’s not my job” attitude.  When things get tough, the lines between job responsibilities become blurry.  Positions may have been eliminated and work will need to be absorbed by someone else.  Help develop options and alternatives to solve problems created by the lay-off.  Get creative.  Focus on what you can do, not what you cannot do. Make yourself the “go-to guy/gal.”

5. Be willing to go the extra mile.  Face it… most of the survivors of the lay-off are going to be called upon to go above and beyond.  Mentally prepare for this and be ready to rise to the challenge.  Try to view the added tasks/stress as a short term situation and be thankful that you still have a job.

6. Clarify new roles and responsibilities.  When people leave, it is important for everyone to know who will be responsible for what.  Make sure you are clear on the goals and expectations for your position.

7.  Reach out to other team members.  You may have lost a friend in the lay-off.  Chances are others are in the same boat.  Find some new friends you can enjoy at work. (Note: Make sure they share your positive attitude.  While misery loves company, now’s the time to hang out with winners who intend to survive this economic downturn and surface on the up side of success.)

8. Develop a strong connection between your work and the bottom line.  Understand how what you do contributes to the overall financial success of your team and ultimately, your organization.  Find opportunities to link your work to an increase in the bottom line, either by increased revenue or decreased costs.

9. Delight your internal and external customers.  Find ways to get to know your customers better and exceed their expectations.  Approach each interaction with the goal of “knocking their socks off.”  Get your customers singing your praises!

10. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude.   Find something to be thankful for each and every day. We are reminded of a quotation by Anthony Robbins, “When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.”

While you can’t control the economy, you can control how you react to negative situations. Following these ten tips will help position you as a survivor of 2009… someone that not only survived the downturn, but used the opportunity to prove that you were indispensable during these bad economic times!