Budget fears

Many thousands of Australians are waiting with a stomach churning sense of dread to hear how the first coalition budget is going to affect them. Few I know express hope of any improvement in their lifestyle.

Mums, dads, brothers and sisters, grandmas and grandpas, the neighbours in our community. It seems all will be hit in some way.

Promises of a million jobs have given way to grave losses in the car industry and wages and hours are under threat in other areas. Now there’s the expectation of many thousands of redundancies in the public service.

Even if we’re not directly in the firing line, many of us will know someone who’ll be negatively affected. A struggling neighbourhood family trying to make mortgage payments, single parents trying to blend in, trying not to appear "poor"- that word can be a hurtful insult in a hyper-consumption obsessed economy. Scrimping here and there simply to stretch the pay packet one week to the next. Trying to “keep it quiet from the kids.”

We know intuitively that job losses will have a flow on effect to our wider society. Fewer people earning and spending means fewer people shopping. Fewer shoppers leads to stores not needing as many employees so there are less shifts available. In turn this means that those employees with less shifts have less money to spend. 

Children often know that their parents are stressed although they may not understand the issues, and in response, many act up in school. It can be a good idea to share some information with staff so that they can understand why a child may be behaving differently. The less obvious consequences are far reaching, but no less damaging. It can become a vicious, downward spinning cycle with people far beyond the immediate issue involved in dealing with the fallout.

Health care professionals, including doctors and allied health workers have been inundated for months with concerned patients who are experiencing physical symptoms of stress with the threatened changes. People who were barely managing to make ends meet, trying to keep up appearances, but hiding real fear about how they’ll cope.

Not surprisingly this impacts on those health care workers, their patients are real people and many genuinely care for them.  They know however, that if purse strings are tightened, medical and allied health visits may become a dispensable ‘luxury’. 

Many people are saying they feel like they're on a slippery slope
with no end in sight. Photo from East Side Gallery Berlin 2009.

A diet of doom and gloom, negativity and fear is, to put it mildly unhealthy, although it seems that it may be hard for many people to avoid, for a while at least.

I wish I had a ‘one size fits all’ solution. But I know from working with a diverse range of clients for many years, that slick, glib answers, and easy cure-alls are rarely effective in the long run. I also know that pretending nothing is wrong can have disastrous consequences.

So, simplistic as this sounds, if you’re suffering because of the budget (or for other reasons too of course) seek help. Share. Communicate your distress in some way.  Whether face to face, text, email, a phone call to a friend or service such as lifeline. If you’re creative, paint it out, draw it, scribble your pain and anger onto a piece of paper. Do some vigorous weeding – if you don’t have a garden offer to weed someone else's (they’ll be grateful!) Scream into the pillow, cry under the shower. 

Most importantly, Write to your local member of parliament – let them know (as politely as possible) how you’re affected. They’re there to represent you and they need to know. Now isn’t the time to be silent! 

Above all, seek professional help if that’s right for you. 

 Hang in there. You’re not alone! And while that’s cold comfort, it can be good to remember.

Lifeline: 13 11 14  http://www.lifeline.org.au

Beyond Blue:   1300 22 46 36 http://www.beyondblue.org.au/

Information on other support services is here: http://www.livingisforeveryone.com.au/I-Need-Help.html

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Redundancy hurts

I’ve heard some fabulous stories about people who’ve been made redundant: The vision of an older man, skipping between desks while stressed workmates hunch over mounds of paperwork, shouting “Yes! I’m leaving! I’m out of here!” is one I won’t forget in a while!

For many people, however, the reality of redundancy is very different.

Teachers and academics who have loved their workplace and invested years of time and energy to improving outcomes for students, and who are living through the erosion of a once proud institution, suffer.

The pain of redundancy applies equally to many other career people who’ve dedicated their lives to a particular sector, whether they be health care or emergency workers, government employees, or blokes in the steel or motor industries.

They’ve often seen the writing on the wall, and are aware that things are changing, long before jobs begin to go in a structured formal way. Budget cuts, departments being amalgamated, a sense that the story isn’t being told in an open and honest way, create a sense of unease that is hard to shake.

There can be a deep sorrow for the loss of all you’ve worked for, which can’t be eradicated by being told to “look for another job”. This hasn’t been just a job. It’s been a career, an integral part of your life for years – that isn’t something caring, dedicated employees shake off with a single outplacement session.

Our identities are often shaped around our worklife. Our work leads to getting up at a particular time, our commute, where and with whom we have lunch, what we discuss, argue about; the banter and camarederie. The loss of the familiarity and routine and in particular the loss of colleagues can result in grief. This needs to be acknowledged, not dismissed by the outplacement service provider.

Some employees find that their shaken world view has been ignored or overlooked by outplacement services designed to “Sit them down, tell them what they need to know, check the resume, give some job hunting tips, and get them out ready for the next one.” Whilst that might be satisfactory for some, there are others who exit that type of interview shattered. I’ve seen tough blokes, as well as strong women, desolate and weeping after such an experience. This type of interview is nothing like an in-depth career counselling session and it would be better for all if it wasn't presented as such.

The sterile interview experienced by too many redundant workers, is functional, regimented, routine and leaves them without hope, feeling that somehow they are to blame for not being ready to move on immediately.

When there’s significant change, we can experience confusion about our role and identity. Self-esteem can be deeply shaken. Questions emerge which may never have been thought about before: Who will I become? What is important? Who do I want to be? What do I value? How do I want to contribute in the future?

“Sometimes our history limits our imaginations”. 
We may need help to see opportunities, rather than believing that what we’ve worked at, is all we can ever do. Not everyone has the luxury to take time off to ponder these issues. However putting aside time to let your brain go into free fall without pressuring yourself with “I have to decide by…” or “I’ve got to start applying for new jobs immediately”, “I’m only trained to do this, I can’t do anything else” can allow you to be open to unexpected, interesting and new ways of thinking about the issue.

It really is time well spent.

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If you or someone you know has come out of an outplacement interview which has been less than satisfactory, please encourage them to seek assistance and support elsewhere - not all services are the same. If the service is provided by the exiting company, please let HR know it wasn't suitable. They're paying good money for these services, and our employees who are being made redundant deserve an appropriate level of support. Feeling shattered, useless and unheard should not be part of the deal.

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Did you jump, or were you pushed? 4 important things to remember for your next interview.

It's a horrible experience either being laid off, or leaving a job under a cloud whether of your own making, or just some rotten circumstances.

It's perfectly reasonable to be a bit anxious about how you'll manage the inevitable questions at your next interview. Basically your approach will cover these 4 important points:

1.   Be as honest and direct as possible.

2.   Keep your explanation brief.

3.   Move on to the next question after having finished your answer on a positive note.

4.   Lastly, take responsibility and don't blame others. You could mention what positive things you've learnt    from the experience.

Career-Intelligence has further helpful ideas on how to approach your next interview after having been made redundant.
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