I am also impacted by the layoff. And now #opentowork

We all have been hearing of layoffs for a while. Every time I hear that from a company where a friend works, I call them and ask if they are ok. Thankfully none of my friends (that I know) were impacted. But now I am. 😊

This is the second layoff in my career. I don’t know if one can compare and say if one layoff is better than the other. Layoffs are always a shock, a trouble, an uncomfortable part of our existence because it pushes us to act with a lot more urgency on both a personal and professional side. It also has consequences that are different for different people. But the goal always is to get back to work ASAP.

Personally for me this layoff is slightly better than the last one because the package is better… simple.. though the timing is not good. But you cannot choose everything in your favor.

As I navigate through this period, I wanted to share some thoughts that came to my mind.

1. Let people know we are laid off. Let the world know we are Open to work. No one can help us if we don’t ask or let them know we need help. So YES! I need help to find my next role.
2. I am open to all kinds of roles & engagements (FT, Temp, PT) where I can create value and be reasonably compensated for it. Time lost not working is earnings lost during that time. Period!! Simple Math!
3. Don’t Start drinking (more) and if possible reduce what you usually have. Especially when laid off. I also decided that I will hit the Gym every single day.
4. Get more busy than before. It is easy for some roles to remain engaged even when laid off. Those like me whose major part of work was people interaction. It can be challenging. But we need to be creative and be engaged.
5. The one thing we can easily replace is being engaged. Get started on projects you have stalled for a while. My daily writing on LinkedIn is an example. I will have more interesting projects I will write about. All this while hunting for a Job!

To be honest I accept this Layoff with a lot more grace than I did the last one. May be because I have been hearing of layoff regularly for a while. But also because I have learned a lot from the company and I think that the specific experience I gained is going to help me a lot in the future.

My only regret is I could not do a proper goodbye to some amazing people I worked with. And even to those with whom I did not have an amazing working relationship all the time. That said Everyone, every single person I have worked with has taught me something and made me a litter better than what I was before I met them.

But there are no Goodbyes needed when you are online. We are all here always. It is not the past, but the future and all the possibilities it has in store that should excite us.

Categories: Career, Career & Work, Enjoying Life and Work, Life

Tags: Laidoff, Lay off, Layoffs2023, open for work, open to work