How to Deal with Redundancy

6 years ago I got laid off.

I remember the feeling like it was yesterday.

I was in the field, visiting hospitals as part of my medical sales role when I got a call from my manager.

I was told to cancel all of my plans for the following Monday and head to the office.

My colleagues had all received the same message.

All weekend I had a feeling of dread, knowing what might happen without being certain.

I showed up to the office on Monday and got told the news.

Time slows down momentarily when you hear HR give the same pre-canned speech they have already given several times.

I was handed a letter and made my exit.

As I sat in my car, it hit me hard.

It was a big shock to the system.

I didn’t see it coming.

2 months earlier me and my wife had committed all of our savings to pay for a religious pilgrimage (Hajj).

With no safety net and additional household income, the panic kicked in fast.

All I could think about all day, every day, was finding a new job and nothing else.

I wasted no time in applying for jobs and getting my name out there.

Every day was about networking and applications whilst still having a chip on my shoulder for what had happened.

It took a while for my efforts to materialise, but a few months later I landed my next job in sales for Smith & Nephew, one of the biggest medical device companies in the world.

Even though it all worked out and I secured an amazing role which I considered a dream job at the time, I definitely made the process way more stressful than it had to be.

I was so focused on finding work that I missed out on a great opportunity to slow down and work on myself.

Looking back, I could have secured an amazing role with half the stress and panic.

Since then, I’ve worked with many clients who have reached out after being made redundant.

Here are three pieces of advice that I would give to anyone facing redundancy:

1) Don’t Take it Personally

It can be soul-crushing to accept, but the truth is that redundancy is a business decision, not a personal attack.

It’s about numbers on a spreadsheet, not your worth.

If a company needs to cut costs, they may let go of employees regardless of performance.

Accept that you are wounded but don’t dwell on it for too long.

Use that energy to move forward. The company’s decision is not a reflection of your abilities.

2)  Take Your Time

Your instinctive response to being laid off will be to update your CV/Resume and start spraying out applications for jobs.

Resist that urge.

Take a moment to breathe and think about your next steps.

You have a rare opportunity to reflect on your career.

What do you really want to do? What’s missing in your life and how are you keeping it out?

In most instances, you have the time and money to have a good think about what your next move could be.

Make a plan.

The last thing you need is to end up in a job that you took as a knee-jerk reaction and end up miserable with worse finances than your previous job.

3)  Enjoy Your Life

There’s more to life than work, but it’s easy to forget that when you’re deep into your career running at 100 miles per hour.

 How often do you get the chance to enjoy time off working without worrying about what you have to do when you get back?

Use this time off to reconnect with family and friends. Tackle that personal to-do list you’ve been putting off.

For instance, take a trip you’ve always wanted, or spend quality time with your kids.

Make the most of it.

Savour the hours and minutes instead of counting down the clock.

Turning the Situation Around

Dealing with redundancy is stressful, no matter how resilient you think you are. It’s emotionally, physically, mentally, and socially draining.

But it can also give you a great chance to create something better.

If you are looking backwards and fixating on what’s gone wrong, you are already facing the wrong direction.

Instead, look forward and think about how to make your new circumstances work for you.

As a Career Coach, I specialise in career transition coaching and professional branding.

Here's how I can help you:

➡️ Actualising Your Value - Helping you create and communicate your unique value proposition through your CV, LinkedIn profile, and interview techniques.

➡️ Job Search Support - Assisting you in securing the job that truly reflects your desired title and compensation.

➡️ Career Change Guidance - Helping you discover a new career path and navigate the transition smoothly.

Feel free to reach out to arrange a conversation.