If you’ve been laid off, or if someone you care about lost their job recently, you’re not alone—and we want you to know it’s going to be okay. We’ll walk through some practical and effective ways for you to move forward, even in the face of anxiety and uncertainty.
Just because you lose your job doesn’t mean you’ll lose everything else, so don’t let fear blow this event out of proportion. You’ll have to decide to press on—and we’re here to help you take the first step.
Laid Off: What Does this Mean?
If you got laid off, it’s not because of something you did—getting laid off means your employer had to let go of team members. The harsh reality is, when the economy grinds to a halt (like we’ve seen in the past few years), companies simply can’t meet payroll—which leads to layoffs. Unfortunately, most businesses aren’t letting people go because they want to, but because they have to.
Usual Causes of Layoffs
Sometimes layoffs happen because of hard economic times or because a company goes through a major change, like being bought out. In both situations, jobs are cut. Here are some other common causes of layoffs:
- A recession
- There’s employee overlap
- Downsizing
- Restructuring
- A company closes
No matter the cause of the layoff, you have what it takes to move forward after this setback.
Next Steps After Being Laid Off
You’re probably feeling a lot of emotions right now. That’s to be expected. Whether you’re feeling scared or angry (or both), give yourself time and space to process before you move forward. No one makes good decisions when they’re panicked, so let’s start by calming down.
Breathe
Layoffs are shocking because they’re usually unexpected. Lots of leaders don’t want their team members to suffer, so they turn to layoffs as a last resort to help save the company or cut costs. But the reality is, losing your job just sucks. So, give yourself some time to pause, process and find perspective. This could be a chance to finally switch careers and start your dream job or go back to school to finish your degree.
Read More: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/career-advice/what-to-do-if-you-get-laid-off